Iran Pushing Large Pilgrimage To Iraq To Show Influence

Majid Mirahmadi, a deputy interior minister and the head of Iran's taskforce for Arbaeen pilgrimage, has predicted that this year more than four million Iranian pilgrims will travel to Iraq to participate in the Arbaeen ceremony, which falls on September 5. The figure is a speculation based on the number of pilgrims in the previous years but this year the annual Shiite mourning ceremonies took an unprecedented anti-regime tone as people chanted religious verses that were critical of the regime and its repressive actions. This may signal a lower turnout for the Arbaeen this year.