Iraqi author and media activist, Adel Al-Jubouri has written an article examining the significance of the funeral processions held in Najaf and Karbala for Iran’s martyred leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
As in Iran, millions of Iraqis from across the country participated in the unprecedented and historic funeral processions for Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Iran’s martyred leader, in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. Various sources estimated the number of participants in the ceremonies in the two cities at nearly ten million.
This is an extraordinarily large number. At the same time, however, it is neither surprising nor unusual for anyone who understands and appreciates the nature of the ties, bonds, and common values that unite the peoples of Iraq and Iran, as well as the honorable positions adopted by Iran’s leadership in supporting and assisting Iraq during its darkest and most difficult periods.
According to Al-Jubouri, this massive turnout, accompanied by powerful and emotional scenes, carried several important and far-reaching messages, the most significant of which were the following:
Loyalty to Those Who Stand with Iraq
The first message, he argued, is that the Iraqi people remain loyal to those who stand beside them, support them, and defend them when needed.
He wrote that the Islamic Republic of Iran—including its leadership, state institutions, political and social elites, and people—was among Iraq’s strongest supporters during the struggle to free the country from the rule of the Ba’ath Party.
Following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s government in 2003, he added, Iran remained among Iraq’s principal supporters as the country sought to build a new democratic political system. He also said Iran stood alongside Iraq in confronting al-Qaeda and later Daesh (ISIS), which he described as terrorist groups created and exported by regional and international powers, foremost among them the United States, with the aim of plunging Iraq into political, security, and economic crises.
Iraq’s Place in the Resistance Front
The second message, Al-Jubouri wrote, is that Iraq has been, remains, and will continue to be an active member of what he described as the “Axis of Resistance.”
He argued that the United States, together with Israel and its allies, believed that targeting the leader of the Islamic Revolution and senior Iranian officials would lead to the collapse of the Islamic Republic while simultaneously weakening and isolating resistance movements, particularly those closest to Iran.
According to the author, subsequent events disproved those expectations. He said neither Iran’s political system collapsed after the martyrdom of its leader nor did resistance groups surrender.
Al-Jubouri maintained that the unprecedented participation of millions of Iraqis in the funeral ceremonies alone demonstrates that Iraq remains firmly committed to the principles and positions of the resistance front.
He further claimed that if U.S. President Donald Trump had been surprised by the millions who filled the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities to mourn their leader, he would have been even more astonished by the millions of Iraqis who gathered around the coffin while chanting slogans against the United States, Israel, and Trump himself.
A Rejection of Normalization with Israel
The third message, the author argued, is that anyone hoping to draw Iraq into normalization with Israel through initiatives such as the Abraham Accords, the “New Middle East,” or the “Deal of the Century” had their expectations dashed by the massive funeral processions.
He wrote that the events reinforced what he described as the reality that the peace envisioned by the United States and Israel is “nothing more than an illusion and a mirage.”
According to Al-Jubouri, genuine peace cannot be achieved through closed-door meetings or agreements drafted by political leaders, but rather through the will of nations striving to reclaim what they regard as their rights, with the support of other peoples who share their cause.
He further argued that if normalization agreements had truly resolved the conflict, the Palestinian struggle and the resistance movements in Lebanon and elsewhere would not have continued, nor would Israel, in his view, continue to face ongoing challenges.
The Power of the People
The fourth message, Al-Jubouri concluded, is that it is peoples—not governments—that ultimately shape history, determine political directions, and have the final say.
He argued that the millions of Iraqis who symbolically carried the coffin of Iran’s martyred leader in their hearts and upon their shoulders were not adopting new positions but reaffirming and strengthening long-held beliefs, principles, and political orientations.
“No one,” he wrote, “could have prevented them from doing so.”
He concluded by comparing the funeral participants to the millions of Iraqis who annually commemorate Imam Hussein during Ashura and Arbaeen, describing them as the same people who endured the rule of the former Ba’ath regime, defeated al-Qaeda and Daesh, and, in his view, foiled the plans of the United States and Israel.
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