State-aligned media in Iran broadcasts emotional scenes of grief at the Imam Reza Shrine and in Urmia following the martyrdom of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution.
Widespread mourning has broken out across Iran following the announced martyrdom of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution. State-aligned news channels are broadcasting highly emotional scenes from key religious and urban centers as citizens process the news.
At the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, Akharin Khabar, a prominent conservative and state-aligned Iranian news aggregator, reported on the intense atmosphere among pilgrims after they learned of the Leader's martyrdom. Emphasizing the profound grief at the holy site, a post on the network stated, "This is Imam Reza's shrine; but the smell of Karbala comes..." This deeply religious framing, directly comparing the event to the foundational martyrdom tragedy of Shia Islam, was mirrored by its local branch, Akharin Khabar Mashhad, which shared identical reports of the pilgrims' lamentations.
The grieving extends well beyond Mashhad. Akharin Khabar also highlighted large gatherings in Urmia, where crowds assembled to mourn the martyrdom of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution. To capture the sorrow of the crowds, the channel invoked traditional Shia mourning poetry commonly recited during Ashura, writing, "O people of the shrine, the commander and standard-bearer did not come."
The source channels are prominent state-aligned news aggregators in Iran. The language heavily utilizes Shia religious iconography and state-approved terminology—such as declaring the event a martyrdom and comparing it to Karbala. This framing has been preserved in translation to faithfully reflect the official editorial stance and the emotional tenor of the original broadcasts.