KARBALA/TEHRAN — In a display of defiance that stunned Western observers, more than 22 million pilgrims converged on the Iraqi holy city of Karbala on Tuesday for the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage, transforming the sacred plaza into a unified demand for justice and vengeance for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Karbala Governor Nasseif Jassim al-Khattabi confirmed that approximately 5 million of the pilgrims were foreigners from 172 countries. 

The gathering, considered one of the world's largest annual religious events, took place against the backdrop of the ongoing U.S. terrorist war on Iran and the region. It commemorates the 40th day of mourning for Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him), who was martyred in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD.

In a ceremony that captured the geopolitical defiance of the pilgrimage, the largest blood-seeking flag ever raised in modern Arbaeen history was hoisted above the space between the twin shrines of Imam Hussein (AS) and his martyred brother Abbas (AS).

The colossal red banner, inscribed with the ancient battle cry "Ya Latharat al-Hussein" (O Avengers of Hussein), was dedicated explicitly to the martyred Leader, assassinated in U.S.-Israeli terrorist strikes at the beginning of the recent war on Iran. 

For millions of faithful, the flag was a public re-covenanting with the ideals of the fallen Leader and a deafening demand for retribution, seamlessly welding the historical tragedy of Karbala to the recent war of aggression waged by Washington and Tel Aviv.

Regional media outlets broadcast live images of the Bayn al-Haramayn plaza saturated in red. For days, pilgrims walking the ancient 76-kilometer route from Najaf to Karbala had carried identical red flags, passing them hand to hand. 

At Pole 553, near a mawkib named for the martyred commander Haj Qasem Soleimani, the flags moved continuously among Iranian and Iraqi marchers under a sun pushing temperatures toward 50 degrees Celsius.

Iraqi-Iranian Unity on Display

The Najaf-Karbala road became a mobile demonstration of the unbreakable Iran-Iraq bond. Hassan al-Sarai, a 35-year-old pilgrim from Baghdad, told the Associated Press that he saw countless Iraqi and Iranian flags, calling it a message to Washington that American bombs had permanently fused the two nations together. 

Aqeel al-Rubaie, a 45-year-old pilgrim from Baghdad, noted that Iranian flags were particularly visible along the road, while there were fewer flags than usual from European, Arab and other Islamic countries—which he attributed to the war and regional instability.

This year's Arbaeen marked the first such pilgrimage since the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei. The scale defied Western expectations that war and economic strangulation would fracture the Resistance. 

More than 1.7 million Iranians registered for the pilgrimage, with nearly 3 million crossing into Iraq through various border crossings in the run-up to Arbaeen. Iraqi authorities reported that more than 4.88 million foreign pilgrims had entered Iraq since the beginning of Muharram.

 

Iranian Foreign Minister Joins Pilgrimage

Among the highest-profile foreign visitors was Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who arrived in Najaf on Monday before traveling to Karbala to participate in the pilgrimage. 

Araghchi described the Arbaeen ceremony as "a symbol of the unity of the Iraqi and Iranian nations" and noted that "a large portion of the participants are pilgrims from the two countries". His presence served as a reminder that diplomacy and devotion are inseparable.

 

Tehran Marches for Vengeance

In Iran, hundreds of thousands who could not travel to Karbala joined the annual symbolic procession known as "Those Left Behind from Arbaeen," marching nearly 20 kilometers through Tehran to the shrine of Shah Abdol-Azim Hasani in Rey. The procession, held under the slogan "We Must Rise," drew vast crowds of worshippers.

Throughout the route, participants carried Iranian flags alongside black mourning banners and red flags bearing the phrase "Ya Latharat al-Hussein" (O Avengers of Hussein), while portraits of martyred leaders and resistance figures were prominently displayed. 

Mourners chanted slogans calling for retaliation for the martyrdom of the beloved Leader in terrorist dastardly strikes by the U.S. and Israel, while demonstrators trampled on U.S. and Israeli flags. Similar rallies were held in other Iranian cities and towns.

 

Kataib Hezbollah Rejects Disarmament

The pilgrimage also delivered a direct rebuke to American pressure on Baghdad. Washington wants the Popular Mobilization Forces and other Iraqi Resistance groups disarmed. From the heart of the Arbaeen crowds, Kataib Hezbollah, one of the most powerful anti-terror resistance groups, issued a statement explicitly rejecting disarmament, vowing to retain the "weapons of the resistance" as a sacred trust.

This year's Arbaeen cemented itself as a powerful referendum on the U.S.-Iran war . The red flag in Bayn al-Haramayn transformed the sacred plaza into a tribunal where the United States and Israel stand condemned. The Resistance Front crystallized anew as a civilizational covenant.

As one observer put it, "No intelligence assessment or security model can account for why millions march through scorching heat; the answer resides in a magnetic pull that assassination only made absolute." The pilgrims proved that no empire's warplanes can break a civilization that refuses to kneel.

 

 

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Tehran Sets Firm Conditions for Hormuz Reopening

 

TEHRAN — Iran has firmly rejected the notion that a technical agreement with Oman on a new shipping route would be sufficient to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with officials stating the waterway will remain closed as long as U.S. military aggression and naval blockade continue.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei made the remarks at his weekly press conference on Monday, as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressed optimism that Washington could reach an agreement with Iran "today or tomorrow" to fully reopen the strategic waterway. 

At the heart of Iran's position is a firm insistence that the Strait's closure was not caused by any disagreement with Oman, but rather by direct U.S. and Israeli military aggression that began on February 28.

"Reaching an agreement on a safe shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz is a necessary but not sufficient condition for reopening the strait," Baghaei said at a press conference.

He elaborated that the strait's closure was a direct consequence of "American treaty-breaking, the naval blockade of Iran, and the series of disruptive actions Washington has carried out against the Islamic Republic". The Strait of Hormuz has been closed "not because of disagreements between Tehran and Muscat, but because of U.S. and Israeli aggression against Iran".

Baghaei made clear that as long as U.S. military aggression and violations of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding continue, "no particular change will occur regarding the situation in the Strait".

"The situation in the Strait of Hormuz will not change as long as the United States continues its acts of aggression and its blockade," he said. The strategic waterway would "never return to its pre-war state".

According to a detailed analysis published in the National Security Journal, the arrangement taking shape between Iran and Oman represents what Washington could accept as an "off-ramp" from the war — but not the settlement President Trump has described publicly.

The analysis notes that while Washington is treating the Oman talks as part of a wider settlement process that Tehran says does not exist, Iran has been unusually direct about separating the two. An agreement with Oman on a shipping route has "no link to the Strait of Hormuz being opened or closed. That is a separate discussion," Baghaei stated.

What is striking about the potential arrangement is what is absent from it: any American role in the arrangement, any third-party demining commitment Iran has accepted, and any explicit reopening timeline tied to the corridor's signature rather than to the end of hostilities as Iran defines them.

Baghaei categorically dismissed reports of ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington, contradicting statements by President Trump that talks would begin on August 3.

"We do not have any negotiations with the United States at the moment," Baghaei told reporters. "We are not going to host a delegation or be guests of a country during these days."

He added: "Today, Mr. Araghchi is traveling for the Arbaeen pilgrimage, and all our negotiators are in Iran." This directly contradicted Trump's claim that negotiations with Iran would begin on August 3.

A Single Temporary Corridor Under Negotiation

Baghaei outlined the scope of the Iran-Oman talks, explaining that the two countries are negotiating a single, temporary two-way shipping corridor through the strait.

"The current discussions are about a two-way corridor, not two or three separate routes," Baghaei said. The proposed temporary route would remain in place until a permanent alternative is introduced.

He noted that the discussions have centered on creating an interim navigation corridor that takes into account the interests of both coastal states by merging the southern route through Omani waters and the northern route through Iranian territorial waters.

Baghaei reminded that Iran had accepted responsibility under Article 5 of the June 18 Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding to help manage navigation through the strait and had begun efforts to restore maritime traffic to pre-war levels.

He said those efforts were disrupted after the U.S. "violated the agreement" by launching military attacks against Iran before the deadline and reinstating what Tehran described as an "unlawful maritime blockade".

"The understanding with Oman regarding a new shipping lane is solely a prerequisite for regulating maritime traffic. It does not mean the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz," Baghaei said.

Mediation Structure Clarified

Baghaei also clarified the mediation structure for any potential Iran-U.S. communication, stating that "the mediator in discussions related to Iran and the U.S. is Pakistan, and Qatar assists when necessary".

He dismissed reports that China had taken over mediation, stating that Beijing was merely "helping" like several other countries, but "to say that we have added a new mediator to the existing mediators is not, in the strict sense of the word, the case".

Asked whether Saudi efforts or Iran's decisive response prevented a recent U.S. attack, Baghaei emphasized: "It is good that regional countries consider themselves part of the region's future, but the war is not just against Iran—it is against the security of the entire region. U.S. military presence and its use of southern Persian Gulf countries' territory has intensified insecurity for the entire region." 

"Experience has proven that what stops the enemy is nothing but Iran's strength and deterrence," he said.

He added: "The fact that all countries in the region consider themselves stakeholders in the future of the region is a positive thing. America's war against the Islamic Republic of Iran is not just a war against one country; it is a war against the entire region and against the security of all countries in the region." 

Baghaei emphasized that Iran's talks with Oman are "purely bilateral and concern no one else," adding that sovereignty, national security, sovereign rights, and maritime services would be considered in any final agreement.

"There is absolutely no intention of returning the situation in the Strait of Hormuz to the conditions that existed before February 28," he said. He stressed that the Strait's problem stemmed not from any Iran-Oman disagreement but from "U.S. and Israeli military aggression".

The Iranian spokesman's comments come after Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the Iran-Oman negotiations as in their final stages. According to a source familiar with the talks, discussions began shortly after the April ceasefire and have progressed positively despite U.S. efforts to obstruct the process.

Baghaei said U.S. intervention had repeatedly disrupted the talks rather than facilitating them, and that Iran would not let its national interests be affected by threats from U.S. officials.

 

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Trump’s Third War Defeat Marked by US Reaper Fleet Decimation

TEHRAN — The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that its aerospace force shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Strait of Hormuz using a "modern and advanced" air defense system, marking the latest in a devastating series of losses for the U.S. military's premier armed reconnaissance platform.

The downing, confirmed by the IRGC's official Sepah News outlet, comes as the U.S. Air Force's operational Reaper fleet has fallen to roughly 135 aircraft—well below its minimum floor of 189—with Iran having destroyed over two dozen MQ-9s since the war began in late February, representing nearly 20 percent of the Pentagon's pre-war inventory at an estimated cost of $1 billion.

General Atomics, the manufacturer, has confirmed that fewer than 10 new airframes remain available for purchase, and the production line for the MQ-9A has been shut down.

The IRGC has documented at least 41 to 42 Reapers destroyed in flight over Iranian territory, the Persian Gulf, and on the ground at U.S. bases in Kuwait and Jordan, with the latest Operation Nasr-2 strikes destroying eight MQ-9s still in canisters at Jordan's King Faisal Air Base. 

The MQ-9 Reaper, which the U.S. Air Force has called the "most valuable player" of its campaign against Iran, has proven increasingly vulnerable against Iran's layered, domestically produced air defense systems—including the 358 loitering interceptor also used by Yemen's Ansarullah forces to down nearly 30 Reapers since 2023.

U.S. officials have conceded that the drone's survivability in high-threat environments is now in question. Air Force Lieutenant General David Tabor told Congress that the military is "exploring options to acquire as many MQ-9A aircraft as possible right now," acknowledging the urgent need to replenish a fleet systematically dismantled by Iranian air defenses.

Mohsen Rezaei, advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and former IRGC commander, declared in a television interview Monday that the United States was "defeated midway" in Trump's third war against Iran, as Iranian forces disrupted American plans, forced the relocation of U.S. command centers, and inflicted heavy casualties.

Rezaei characterized the recent American aggression as Trump's third war against Iran, coming after earlier 12-day and 40-day wars. He revealed that Iran prepared to strike three locations inside Ukraine in response to an attack on an Iranian ship, but suspended the operation after Kiev claimed the incident was a mistake, while stressing that compensation remains obligatory.

Rezaei detailed the battle of Hormuz, noting that Israel was absent from the latest round of attacks, which focused on southern Iran. American forces bombed communication bridges, radars and military centers in an attempt to weaken Iranian logistics, he said. When Trump demanded heavier strikes, his commanders replied that "maximum capability had already been used, and still they failed."

In response, Iran launched successive, precise strikes against U.S. bases across the region, forcing the relocation of American forces and shifting their command from Qatar to Jordan and then to Israel, placing command and support far from the battlefield. 

"Trump's third war against Iran was defeated midway, adding a severe failure to his previous setbacks. We continued our strikes for two days after the Americans stopped," Rezaei added.

The U.S. recently admitted to 650 killed and wounded in the recent war; Iranian estimates place the figure at nearly 500 killed. While a full-scale American ground invasion is no longer realistic, Washington is already preparing a fourth round, including plots to stir internal unrest and attempts to drag other countries into the conflict, as seen in the Ukrainian attack on the Iranian ship.

Rezaei warned that America's desperate maneuvers risk igniting the sparks of a third world war, noting that West Asia today holds far greater potential for escalation than Europe on the eve of World War II. Rejecting claims that Iran is the aggressor, he stressed that "it was America that attacked our country and our people, martyred our Leader and our children."

In a separate tweet Monday night, Rezaei said, "If the blockade continues, American vessels and forces will face serious risks and casualties. The U.S. must change its behavior — or we will not tolerate this. We will never permit the opening of a second corridor in the Strait of Hormuz."

Iran's Assembly of Experts issued a statement Monday warning against trusting the United States given its repeated violations of the war-termination memorandum of understanding with Iran. 

Recent developments, it added, have demonstrated that the U.S. president's signature is unreliable and that placing trust in the arrogant government is nothing more than an illusion. 

"Hope for understanding and agreement with this bullying regime will lead nowhere," the assembly stated.

Acting Defense Minister Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Ibnolreza said Iran will "neither be caught off guard nor stand idly by" amid repeated U.S. threats, adding that Tehran will "use the threat as an opportunity to strengthen our preparedness, reinforce our deterrence, and further enhance our power."

The United States and Israel waged their first war on Iran in June 2025, lasting 12 days. Their second aggression began on February 28 and halted in early April after 40 days. Tehran and Washington signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding on June 17, but Washington has effectively violated the deal by striking Iran, prompting Tehran to resume missile and drone strikes against U.S. assets and close the Strait of Hormuz once again.

The loss of MQ-9 Reaper drones comes as the United States has depleted "virtually all" of its stockpile of Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) weapons. 

According to CSIS, the U.S. has expended approximately 65% of its Patriot interceptors, more than half of its THAAD interceptors, and nearly half of its global Tomahawk cruise missile supply. Retired US Marine Corps Colonel Mark Cancian warned that the depletion has created a "window of vulnerability" for the U.S. military.

The latest downing underscores the mounting costs of Washington's prolonged terrorist campaign against Iran, which has involved sustained airstrikes on infrastructure including bridges, hospitals, and energy facilities. 

With Tehran's air defenses proving increasingly effective and U.S. stockpiles dwindling, the trajectory of the war raises profound questions about America's capacity to sustain its warmongering policies in the face of determined Iranian resistance and the potential for a wider regional conflagration.