Iraq-Memorial ceremony/Khamenei
Iraq-Memorial ceremony/Khamenei
Dateline : July 8, 2026
Location : Iraq
Duration : 1'12
Karbala, Iraq - July 8, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of people gathering for funeral processions of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) (name not given), Iraqi citizen:
"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."
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) (name not given), 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."
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
4. Funeral processions in progress
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
5. Various of people gathering for funeral processions of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
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.
ID : 8488522
Published : 2026-07-09 09:05
Last Modified : 2026-07-09 18:13:30
Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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