Enemy seeks to break deep bond between nations of Iran, Iraq: AQR custodian

Ayat. Ahmad Marvi, in a meeting with a group of sheikhs and heads of Iraqi and Khuzestani tribes held on Thursday, October 29, 2026 while welcoming Iraqi guests and heads of Khuzestani tribes stated: “We are honored to be the servants and workers of the pilgrims of Imam Reza (AS)”.
Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, further referring to the special status of Hazrat Reza (AS) among Household of Infallibility and Purity, said: “The Great Prophet of Islam (pbuh) used the expression "part of my body" for two of his noble children; one regarding Hazrat Fatima Zahra (SA) with phrase "Fatima is part of me" and the other regarding Hazrat Reza (AS) with the expression "A part of me will soon be buried in the land of Tus”. 
Ayat. Marvi added: “Iranian nation is proud that the holy body of the progeny of the Messenger of God (pbuh) is buried in this land and considers this blessing a great privilege, a source of happiness, dignity, and independence for the country”.
He further referred to the brilliant historical background of the Iraqi people and noted: “Since the beginning of Islam and during the reign of Imam Ali (AS), people of Iraq have had a proud record in defending truth and justice”.
Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, stating that Iraqi people accepted Islam through their own choice and understanding, not through compulsion or imposition, said: “At a time when land of Iraq was part of Sassanid territory, people of this region came toward this faith themselves and chose it after hearing the call of monotheism and the justice-seeking of Islam. This spirit of seeking justice is one of brilliant points in the history of Iraqi people”.

Historical role of Iraqi people in supporting Imam Ali (AS) 
Ayatollah Marvi, referring to the role of Iraqi people during the caliphate of Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (AS), stated: “Despite the fact that Hazrat Ali (AS) was born in Mecca and spent most of his noble life in Hejaz, greatest support for him came from people of Iraq”.
Referring to the Battle of Camel, he added: “When the first war was imposed on Imam Ali (AS), a group of Muhajireen and Ansar moved from Medina with him, but what caused a significant increase in the number of his troops and victory of the front of truth in the Battle of Camel was presence of Iraqi people, especially the people of Kufa. A major part of troops of Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) in the battles of Camel and Siffin were from the Iraqi people”.

Ayatollah Marvi, emphasizing that the contemporary and civilizational history of Iraq is also full of pride and dignity, said: “People of Iraq, including both Shia and Sunni, have always stood against oppression and colonialism and have not allowed foreigners to dominate destiny of this great and civilization-making nation”.

Funeral of the martyred leader in Iraq; a rare manifestation of the bond between two nations
Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi further described magnificent funeral procession of the holy body of the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq as a rare example of deep bond between nations of Iran and Iraq and stated: “There is little precedent in history for the body of a leader of one country to be escorted in another country with such greatness and glory”.
Referring to the presence of followers of various sects and religions in funeral ceremony of the martyred leader in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Yazidis, Sabaeans, and Christians, he added: “What truth links this diverse population together with such affection and interest? With this great move, the people of Iraq added a golden and lasting page to their proud history”.
Ayatollah Marvi, emphasizing that this solidarity is intolerable for enemies of Islam, mentioned: “A leader who was martyred by the criminal US regime and murderous Zionist regime is given such a magnificent funeral in another country with extensive presence of people from various religions; this event is unbearable for America, and with this movement, people of Iraq delivered a major blow to the enemy's calculations”.
He warned: “One should not imagine that the enemy will remain indifferent to this great movement of the Iraqi people. America will use various tools, forces at its disposal, and its promotional and media facilities to destroy the unity, affection, and devotion between two nations of Iran and Iraq and turn it into grudge, discord, and conflict”.
Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi continued: “The enemy does not resort to military warfare to create division between two countries; rather, through poisoned propaganda, spreading rumors, and creating false mindsets, it tries to make the people, youth, and tribes of Iraq pessimistic toward Iranian nation. One must be wary of these conspiracies and not allow the enemy to take away power displayed by the unity of the two nations”. 
Referring to the shared capacities of Iran and Iraq, Ayat. Marvi noted: “Two great and civilized countries with large populations, historical civilizations, and rich God-given resources stand alongside each other, and this synergy is unbearable for America and enemies of Islam. Our duty as Muslims is to act upon the divine command "And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided" (Al-Imran 103) and to recognize enemy's tricks to prevent division”.

Enemy's divisive conspiracies and vigilance of the Iraqi people
Referring to the terrorist bombing of holy shrines of the Imams al-Askariayn (AS) in Samarra, he stated: “The main goal of the enemies in that crime and desecration of the shrine of Ahl al-Bayt (AS) was to create discord and conflict between Shias and Sunnis”.
They added: “If it were not for the vigilance and intelligence of supreme Marja'iya of Iraq, His Eminence Ayatollah Sistani, as well as the insight, cleverness, and enemy-recognition of the people of Iraq, enemies were seeking to launch a bloody war, fratricide, and Muslim-killing in this country”.
Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi clarified: “With their intelligence, people of Iraq did not allow the enemy to reach its sinister goal and neutralized the plan they pursued with the bombing of the holy shrine of the Imams al-Askariayn (AS); however, America did not stop its enmity and conspiracy-plotting”.
Referring to the ISIS sedition, he continued: “After failing in the Samarra bombing conspiracy, the enemy brought the criminal group ISIS to the field; a group that was a protege of America and the Zionist regime and showed no mercy to any Muslim, whether Shia or Sunni. Iraq was involved in this sedition for a while, but the resistance of the Iraqi people and the help of the Iranian nation once again thwarted enemy's plan”.
Ayatollah Marvi, recalling the role of the two martyred commanders, Haj Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in confronting ISIS, noted: “Blood of these two great, heroic, and brave commanders was shed on the ground in Iraq; but the enemy could not exploit this event to create division between two nations, rather, the blood of the two nations of Iran and Iraq became bonded together”.
Referring to the resistance of the Iraqi people against ISIS and their efforts for the withdrawal of American forces from this country, he emphasized: “Even after the defeat of ISIS and the failure of previous conspiracies, America does not stop its enmity and still seeks dominance and creation of division”.

Martyred leader’s emphasis on necessity of America's withdrawal from Iraq
Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi then recounted a memory of the meeting between late martyred Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Baqir Hakim and the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution after fall of Saddam's regime and said: “In that meeting, late Ayatollah Hakim had come to express gratitude for the several years of hospitality from Iranian nation and also to say goodbye and benefit from guidelines of the leader of the revolution”.
He added: “In that session, the martyred leader of the revolution offered recommendations regarding necessity of continuous communication with people, tribes, Marjas, scholars, seminaries, and youth of Iraq; but his main emphasis was on the necessity of America's withdrawal from Iraq”.
Pointing out that at that time less than 2 years had passed since fall of Saddam, Ayatollah Marvi, stated: “Martyred leader of the revolution told Ayatollah Hakim that America dominates all aspects and pillars of Iraq and holds administration of this country; therefore, one of the issues that must be pursued with seriousness and decisiveness is withdrawal of America from Iraq. He had emphasized that the dirty feet of American soldiers should not be allowed to be present in the pure and holy land of Iraq”.
He stated: “Ayatollah Hakim, during that meeting after remarks of the martyred leader of the revolution, said Iraq is currently under U.S. dominance and you are practically bordering the U.S.; how is this spirit of courage of yours in standing without fear against the U.S.? The martyred leader of the revolution replied, "Mr. Hakim, we believe in divine victory, 'If you aid Allah, He will aid you'”.
Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, stating that the Iranian nation has also experienced this truth in recent events, said: “The enemy imagined that with martyrdom of the commander-in-chief, the Wali al-Faqih, and senior military commanders, Iran would eventually collapse within 3 days to 3 weeks and then be disintegrated; just as the President of the U.S. had also expressed this delusion of his”.
Referring to the prediction of the martyred leader of the revolution regarding reaction of Iranian nation in case of enemy aggression, he noted: “He had said if the enemy attacks and invades this country, God will resurrect this nation. The word "mab'uth" (resurrected) was a special expression that he had rarely used”.
Ayatollah Marvi continued: “Enemy's calculation was that with martyrdom of the leader of the revolution and senior commanders, the people would be struck by despair, hopelessness, fear, and confusion, would take refuge in their homes, and opposition groups and forces dependent on the enemy would find opportunity to take to the streets through military actions and riots. The enemy had even prepared its mercenary forces at the southwestern and eastern borders to attack Iran by crossing borders and engage country's military forces in border areas; but contrary to their calculations, from the very first hours of the announcement of the martyrdom of the leader of the revolution, people came to the streets and not only did they not suffer fear and passivity, but they also continued their presence and resistance”.
Referring to the continuation of this popular presence, custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, said: “More than 250 nights have passed since this resurrection and continuous presence, and neither enemy's mercenary forces were able to carry out an effective move from borders, nor could U.S. propaganda turn the deceived into the orchestrators of internal events”.
He considered this persistence a manifestation of divine victory and, referring to Quranic verses of "If you aid Allah, He will aid you and make your foothold firm (Mohammad 7)" and "If Allah aids you, none can overcome you (al-Imran 160)", stated: “Divine victory does not only mean sending angels from heaven or unseen forces from the earth; rather, one of its manifestations is granting steadfastness to humans so they can stand and move in the path of truth”.
Marvi emphasized: “We must believe in divine victory and move for God; because God grants steadfastness to His servants, and with this very endurance, one can stand against great powers.”

Failure of the U.S. in achieving its goals, criterion for evaluating outcome of the war
Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, stated: “Two nuclear countries, the U.S. and the Zionist regime, attacked a non-nuclear country, but they did not reach any of their goals”.
He added: “Criterion for victory and defeat is not amount of damage inflicted, but rather one must see to what extent the attacking party has achieved goals it had considered for the attack”.
Ayatollah Marvi, referring to the damage and human casualties inflicted on the country, clarified: “The enemy inflicted much damage on the Iranian nation, martyred our great leader and a group of our dear people, and committed Minab school crime. These damages and crimes are undeniable; but final criterion for evaluation is the realization of the attacker's goals”.
He continued: “The U.S. goal of this attack was to destroy he government of the Islamic Republic, disintegrate Iran, and create conditions where Iranian people would surrender to the U.S. and the Zionist regime; but none of these goals were realized. Therefore, based on the criterion of reaching or not reaching announced goals, the U.S. lost in this war”.
Referring to convening of the Assembly of Experts meeting under war conditions, custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, said: “While sensitive centers of the country were exposed to enemy attacks, Assembly of Experts held a meeting and introduced the new leader of the Islamic Revolution, a young leader, jurist, scholar, just, and trained in the school of the martyred leader of the revolution, to the nation”.
He noted: “The enemy imagined that by creating a leadership vacuum, it could cause country to collapse, but the Assembly of Experts made its choice in less than 10 days. This event was also another manifestation of steadfastness and divine victory”. 

Devotion of martyred leader to Imam Reza (AS) 
Ayatollah Marvi, in another part of his speech, referring to the special love and devotion of the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution to Imam Reza (AS), shared memories of their behavior and state during pilgrimage trips to holy Mashhad.
He said: “Martyred leader of the revolution had official trips to all provinces of the country during their leadership and spent several days among people in each province; but despite repeated trips to Mashhad for pilgrimage of Imam Reza (AS), they never had an official trip to this city”.
Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi added: “When they were requested to have an official trip to Mashhad just like other provinces, so the people of this city could also benefit from meeting and welcoming them, they replied "This is the city of Imam Reza; should I come here and invite people to welcome me? Here, all hearts and eyes must be focused on Imam Reza (AS). Etiquette requires that I do not have an official trip in Mashhad; here is Imam Reza (AS)”.
Ayatollah Marvi, referring to his observations of the martyred leader of the revolution's state during air travels to Mashhad, stated: “I had honor of accompanying him on many trips. When the plane moved towards Mashhad, his state was very contemplative for me; as if a lover is going towards their beloved. A special vitality, freshness, and restlessness were seen in their face and behavior”.
He continued: “But when returning from Mashhad, their state was completely different. Once in the plane, I was sitting opposite them and observed that unlike previous day when they talked with companions with vitality and freshness, they were now sitting in a corner in silence. When I looked closer, I realized tears were flowing from under their glasses. This level of love and interest in Imam Reza (AS) surged within them”.

Referring to the duration of martyred leader's stay in Mashhad, custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, added: “They were sometimes present in Mashhad for 5, 10, and even 20 days and went for the pilgrimage of Imam Reza (AS) every day; of course, a path was designed for his pilgrimage so that it would not create any trouble, restriction, or disturbance for pilgrims; because he emphasized that no restriction should be created for pilgrims in their pilgrimage at all”.
Further referring to the fact that holy body of the martyred leader of the revolution finally came to rest next to Imam Reza (AS), Ayatollah Marvi stated: “Just as he wished to be placed next to the Kind Imam (AS), he is now buried in the vicinity of that Imam”.