Iranians remember late cleric; Leader leads memorial prayers

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has led mass prayers at a ceremony in remembrance of the late prominent Iranian cleric, Ayatollah Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani.

The service was held in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Thursday.

The prayers were attended by people from all walks of life as well as dozens of senior clerics and high-ranking officials, including President Hassan Rouhani, Head of the Guardian Council Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani and Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi.

Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi was among the military top brass attending the ceremony.

The prayers were followed by a procession where mourners paid tribute to the late prominent religious figure.

Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani, 83, passed away in Tehran on Tuesday after he went into a coma on June 4 due to a major heart attack.

In a message of condolences following the demise of Mahdavi Kan on Tuesday, the Leader described the deceased cleric as an influential figure in the Islamic Republic and a true companion of the late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini.

“This great and pious man appeared always and everywhere in the position of a religious scholar and an honest politician and a candid revolutionary,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The late cleric who also was a veteran politician was elected chairman of the Assembly of Experts in March 2011. The high-ranking body of experts elects and oversees the activities of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

The senior Iranian official was also a founder and the leader of the Combatant Clergy Association, a prominent religious, cultural and political foundation formed with the objective of protecting the achievements of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.