ALWAGHT- On Monday, June 3, Iran organized commemorative ceremonies to honor the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, marking the 35th anniversary of his passing.
Special ceremonies are currently underway across the country to honor "the architect of the Islamic Revolution". The central commemorative event takes place at the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini in southern Tehran, where it will be addressed by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.
Numerous foreign ambassadors and dignitaries are participating in the ceremony.
Ayatollah Ruhullah Mosavi Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic and the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, is credited with ending centuries of autocratic rule in Iran. Many believe Imam Khomeini's influence extends far beyond Iran's borders.
Imam Khomeini passed away in 1989 at the age of 86, nearly a decade after the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, which marked the overthrow of the US-backed Pahlavi regime in Iran, led by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, commonly known as the 'Shah'.
Spending numerous years in exile across Iraq, Turkey, and France, Imam Khomeini spearheaded a burgeoning grassroots movement that eventually toppled the Shah's regime and paved the way for the establishment of the Islamic Republic.
He established the groundwork for the Islamic Republic through a referendum held in 1979, during which over 98 percent of Iranians voted in favor of the Islamic Republic.
Imam Khomeini is revered as the pioneer of a new chapter in Iran's history, one that marked the end of centuries of monarchy and overturned the Shah's domestic and foreign policies. This ushered in a political system aimed at governing the country based on the principle of independence from Western influence.
