Memorial ceremonies held in Iraq for Iran's late supreme leader

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Memorial ceremonies held in Iraq for Iran's late supreme leader

2026-07-09 09:05 Last Updated At：14:56

Millions of mourners gathered in Iraq's holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday for the funeral processions of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Initial reports indicated that over 2.3 million people participated in the first hour of the procession in Najaf that began early on Wednesday morning, the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.

To facilitate the ceremonies, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi declared Wednesday as a holiday across all state institutions.

The casket of the late Iranian supreme leader is slated to move later Wednesday to neighboring Karbala, where Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalai, representative of Iraq's Supreme Religious Authority, will lead prayers at the Imam Hussein Shrine.

In Karbala, a city in central-southern Iraq, the Iraqi government was holding the final rituals of the mourning activities for the deceased Iranian leader.

On Wednesday, nearly one million people from Iraq, Iran, and neighboring countries traveled to Najaf and Karbala to participate in the commemorative events.

Meanwhile, in the early hours of Wednesday, the U.S. military launched a new round of strikes against Iran. At the mourning sites, large crowds were seen waving Iraqi and Iranian flags while chanting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans. The demonstrators demanded that foreign military forces led by the United States withdraw from Iraq and cease their aggression against Iran.

"The people gathered here today have sent a clear message to the arrogant United States. America has repeatedly shown arrogance and disrespect. Time and again during negotiations, they have continuously deceived us and launched attacks. This is not the first time," said a Iraqi citizen.

"On my way here, I read the news that Trump claimed the United States will continue striking Iran. However, Iran remains firmly prepared to face any storm. As a country that has been subjected to aggression, Iran will not be brought down. As the whole world has seen, Iran has always stood firm. These strikes will not weaken the will of Iran," said another Iraqi citizen.

Funeral ceremonies for Khamenei have been held from Friday to Tuesday in Iran's capital Tehran and its central city of Qom. He will be laid to rest in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad on Thursday, which the Iranian government has declared a day of national mourning.

Khamenei was killed in a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran on Feb. 28.

Northeast China's Jilin steps up flood control as Typhoon Bavi brings heavy rain

Flood control and disaster relief teams are stepping up efforts in Piaohe Township, Jiaohe City, in northeast China’s Jilin Province as Typhoon Bavi moves northward, bringing intense rainfall across the region.

Typhoon Bavi, the ninth of the year, made landfall twice along the coast of east China's Zhejiang Province at 23:20 Saturday and again around midnight, then moved inland. It is the second typhoon this month following Typhoon Maysak, which brought heavy floods and wreaked havoc in southern China.

Piaohe Township, located in the southeastern part of Jiaohe City, is among the hardest-hit areas. The township is particularly vulnerable due to converging water flows from the upstream Baishishan and Pihe River basins. To cope with the heavy downpour, more than 440 emergency personnel in the township have been deployed to prevent flood and evacuate residents from affected areas to safer locations.

The continuous rainfall has pushed water levels of Piaohe and Qingbei rivers flowing through the township to exceed warning thresholds, posing dangers of flash floods, landslides, and mudslides.

"We have activated 24-hour duty shifts, with inspections of rainfall conditions and potential hazards conducted every two hours. We are making effort to evacuate residents along the Piaohe River and Qingbei (river) basins to ensure their safety," said Zhang Peng, secretary of the Communist Party of China branch of Piaohe Township.

According to the Jiaohe City's Flood Control and Drought Relief Department, the cumulative rainfall in the City has reached 156.7 mm as of 15:00 on Tuesday.

Local authorities have coordinated efforts across multiple departments to promptly inspect and repair damaged roads and embankments, aiming to minimize the risk of river flooding.