In darkened halls across Iran, hundreds of men dressed in black beat their chests in unison as religious eulogists chant rhythmic laments of martyrdom, sacrifice and war.
The performances, often lit in red and shared widely on YouTube and social media in Iran, have become a recurring feature of the country's wartime atmosphere since the 12-day Iran-Israel war in June 2025.
Known as latmiyah, these mourning recitations are rooted in Ashura rituals commemorating the martyrdom of Shia Imam Hussain ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.
Since , prominent state-backed eulogists such as Mahdi Rasouli, Hossein Taheri, Seyed Reza Narimani and Hossein Sotoudeh have released new wartime recitations framing the US-Israel war on Iran through the symbolic language of Karbala.
Some clips have drawn admiration from pro-government supporters online, while critics have condemned them as an attempt by the Islamic Republic to fuse religious mourning with political mobilisation.
