Story perspectives

Iran President Urges Unity at Ashura Mourning; Pakistan Tightens Security

6/26/2026

Left

President Pezeshkian Calls Unity

President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed mourners at the Khomeini mausoleum, urging unity and warning that division aids the enemy.
Families of protesters killed in January gathered during Ashura in Tehran, Isfahan and Amol to publicly mourn their loved ones.
State-linked groups ran nightly processions with black tents, loud chants and distributed tea and dates.
Pakistan deployed police and halted mobile service to protect Shia congregations from sectarian attacks.

Right

Pilgrims Mourn

Iranian pilgrims entered Karbala carrying photos of relatives killed in the war with the United States and Israel.
Worshippers beat drums and performed self-flagellation around the Imam Abbas shrine in Iraq.
A woman clutched a portrait of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as flag bearing image was raised.
Ceasefire began in April 3,000 Iranians were killed, United States and Iran signed a deal.

History

Historical Context

After the Shah’s costly 1971 2,500-year celebration and the oil-boom-driven inflation of the mid-1970s, Carter-era U.S. pressure forced limited amnesties in 1977, but massive Ashura protests of 6-9 million on 10-11 December 1978 sparked the February 1979 overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini. That revolutionary mobilization still shapes today’s Ashura pilgrimages and security measures.

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President Pezeshkian Calls Unity

President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed mourners at the Khomeini mausoleum, urging unity and warning that division aids the enemy.
Families of protesters killed in January gathered during Ashura in Tehran, Isfahan and Amol to publicly mourn their loved ones.
State-linked groups ran nightly processions with black tents, loud chants and distributed tea and dates.
Pakistan deployed police and halted mobile service to protect Shia congregations from sectarian attacks.

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