Ghalibaf Meets Houthi Official, Praises MoU
Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf met Mohammed Al-Nuaimi, vice chairman of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, in Tehran on Sunday. During the meeting, Ghalibaf hailed the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States as an achievement for Tehran's "Axis of Resistance," according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of funeral ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
MoU Forces US and Israel to Recognize Allies
"The US and Israel were forced to practically recognise Iran's allies in the Axis of Resistance under the recent memorandum," Ghalibaf said. "This is one of the achievements of this memorandum." He added that Iran and the Axis of Resistance had stood together against the US and Israel, describing the MoU as a "defeat for the US" and an "achievement for the Resistance Front" both militarily and politically.
Ghalibaf also stressed the need for unity among Islamic countries to free them from "US and Israeli domination." He praised the Houthis and the Yemeni people for their resistance against "violations of international law and oppression," stating they had demonstrated the integrated power of the Axis of Resistance on economic, military, and political fronts.
Houthi Official: Yemen and Iran in Same Trench
Al-Nuaimi said Yemen and Iran stood in the "same trench" for the sake of the "Islamic Ummah." "What happened in Iran during the recent war has become a school of thought for the entire Resistance Front," he noted.
The "Axis of Resistance" emerged as Iranian counter-framing to the US "Axis of Evil" doctrine articulated by President George W. Bush in 2002, which designated Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as states allegedly involved in terrorism and weapons of mass destruction programs. The Axis of Resistance denotes a loose, Iran-centred network comprising state and non-state actors, notably Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and militia groups in Iraq and Syria, defined by opposition to Western and Israeli regional interests.
President Pezeshkian: Funeral a Pledge to Continue Khamenei's Path
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday said the funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Khamenei were not a farewell but a "pledge to continue his path," as reported by IRNA. Khamenei was assassinated in a US-Israeli airstrike on February 28. "I do not accept the interpretation of 'farewell,'" Pezeshkian said. "This is not a farewell, but rather a pledge to continue the path."
The President expressed condolences over the death of the Leader, his family members, and all who lost their lives in the war for "the honour and dignity of Iran and Islam." He claimed the enemy had altered the region's geography by launching a war against Iran, but argued the conflict had strengthened unity and solidarity among Muslims while exposing "the falsehood of its human rights claims."
Funeral Processions Attract Millions
According to Al Jazeera, the seven-day commemoration began in Tehran on Friday, with funeral ceremonies and public processions scheduled across Iran and Iraq. Millions of mourners attended prayers for the late Supreme Leader and four members of his family on Sunday. Public mourning ceremonies are being held in Tehran, where the coffins of Ayatollah Khamenei and his family members have been placed at the Grand Mosalla for public viewing.
The funeral processions will continue on Monday and Tuesday as they move south towards Qom. On Wednesday, an official reception is scheduled at Najaf International Airport in Iraq, followed by public funeral processions in Najaf and Karbala. The body will then be returned to Iran for the final burial ceremony at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad on Friday, Khamenei's birthplace.
