Zurbatiyah (Iraq) (AFP) – Under a blazing sun, clad in black and clutching portraits of their slain leader Ali Khamenei, Iranian pilgrims streamed across the border into Iraq to observe the Arbaeen, the most revered event in Shia Islam.
Issued on: 01/08/2026 - 12:02
3 min Reading time
Some stamped on a portrait of US President Donald Trump, others raised their fists or flashed victory signs, as fresh strikes rattled the region, drawing Iraq back into the Middle East war.Amir, a 55-year-old pick-up driver, has been attending the Arbaeen ceremonies in Iraq for years, but said that this time is different."The difference is that we are at war. Now, the United States is attacking us... yet this crowd that you see has left everything behind" to attend, the father-of-three added, at Iraq's al-Zurbatiyah border crossing. Arbaeen, which means forty in Arabic, marks the 40th day of mourning for the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed and a founding figure in Shia Islam. It is one of the world's largest religious gatherings, with millions flocking each year to Iraq to visit the city of Karbala, where Hussein and his brother Abbas are buried. This year's pilgrimage comes amid a war launched by a US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, which has not left Iraq unscathed.
