Iran News: After the war with America and Israel, Ashura rituals became political, martyrs were told like Imam Hussein

This year, the rituals of Ashura in Iran are not just religious, but now politics has also been added to them. After the war with America and Israel, the Iranian government is using these celebrations to strengthen its power and ideology. The leaders killed in the war are now being described as martyrs in the tradition of Imam Hussain so that the people can be united.

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All this happened at a time when America and Israel launched major attacks on Iran in February 2026. On February 28, the very first day of this war, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and many military commanders were killed. In response, Iran launched drone and missile attacks on America’s allies including Israel and the Gulf countries. A temporary ceasefire was reached in April and an agreement was reached between the US and Iran to end the conflict in June 2026.

Memories of this war were clearly visible in the Ashura celebrations held around 25 June 2026. State-supported programs showed photographs of leaders who had died in the war. People also took photographs of their close ones who lost their lives in this war. At least 3,000 Iranians were reported killed in the conflict before the ceasefire. The government is presenting this entire environment as an ‘axis of resistance’ that counters the influence of America and Israel.

Pictures of new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei were displayed at government events. President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X that Imam Hussein taught believers to stand strong against oppression. State news agency IRNA reported that several events were held specifically to commemorate the ‘martyred leaders and martyrs of the resistance front’.

Professor Hossein Dabbagh of Northeastern University London said that Iran’s thinking is built around sacrifice and holy resistance. According to him, instead of weakening Iran’s ideology, external attacks make it more active. At the same time, the experience of the eight-year long Iran-Iraq war has deeply instilled in Iranians the culture of enduring difficult times and making sacrifices.