On Tuesday evening, a plane carrying Khamenei’s body landed in the Shiite city of Najaf. Religious ceremonies are taking place there and in Karbala. During his lifetime, Khamenei had visited both cities as an 18-year-old pilgrim. He had not returned since that trip in 1957.
Iraq’s government under Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi faces a balancing act: it wants to keep the country out of the confrontation between the US and influential Iran. At the same time, it cannot avoid the Iranian ceremonies. Zaidi traveled to Najaf to receive the body and declared Wednesday a national holiday.
Iraqi observers speak of Iranian power projection. Renad Mansour, an Iraqi expert at the Chatham House think tank, said the Iranian regime is showing that it still has great influence in Iraq – not only politically and ideologically, but also socially over the country’s Shiites. The memorial services are meant to provide proof of the resilience of Iranian networks.
Source: www.faz.net
