On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of Iranians accompanied through the streets of Ahvaz and Mashhad the flag-draped coffin containing the remains of Maj Gen Qassem Suleimani slain by a US drone strike in Baghdad late on Friday. Mourners dressed in black carried red flags symbolising the blood of martyrs and beat their chests in traditional Shia ritual fashion. By adding martyrdom to celebrity, the Shia religious establishment is, essentially, declaring him a saint. The unemployment rate has soared and Iranians have suffered from a lack of imported medicines and other essential items. Iranians will expect Suleimani’s martyrdom to be avenged.

Source: The Irish Times January 05, 2020 18:33 UTC