Clashes between supporters of the Islamic Republic and followers of Grand Ayatollah Sadegh Shirazi, a prominent critic of the regime, during the Arbaeen pilgrimage in Karbala resulted in the arrest of 140 people and left 54 others injured.
Iraq’s Al-Ashaer TV network, a media outlet affiliated with Grand Ayatollah Sadegh Shirazi, published video footage of the clashes on the morning of Monday, August 3. According to the network, a group carrying pictures of Ali Khamenei and Mojtaba Khamenei, along with flags bearing the slogans “Yā Lathārāt al-Hussein” and “Yā Lathārāt al-Khamenei,” gathered outside Ayatollah Sadegh Shirazi’s office in Karbala and chanted slogans against him. The media outlet reported that supporters of Ali Khamenei, the former Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, and his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, raised these chants while passing by Shirazi’s office, prompting a backlash from the Grand Ayatollah’s followers.
According to social media users, the confrontation was initially broken up by Iraqi police. However, tensions subsequently flared between supporters of the Islamic Republic and Iraqi security forces, leading Iraqi police to use force to restore order.
Based on published reports, 140 individuals were arrested and 54 were injured during the clashes near the procession, or mokeb, associated with Ayatollah Sadegh Shirazi. These figures have not been independently verified.
