Hawzah News Agency - (Tehran - Iran) - Iran held commemorative events on Wednesday to mark the 31st anniversary of demise of Imam Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini.

Special events took place in Iran to pay tribute to “the architect of the Islamic Revolution” on the anniversary of his passing away.

While commemorative ceremonies were held each year- including the central one which take place yearly at the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini in southern Tehran- the outbreak of coronavirus has cancelled gatherings this year.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei delivered a televised speech on Wednesday to pay homage to Imam Khomeini. His eminence praised Imam Khomeini as the leader who created big change among the Iranian nation.

“Imam Khomeini created self-esteem in Iranian people. He proved that superpowers are vulnerable and can be defeated,” Imam Khamenei said.

Imam Khomeini led the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which changed the phase of Iran and the entire region. The Islamic revolution which triumphed in February 1979 saw the overthrow of the US-backed Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and the end of the 2,500-year-old Persian monarchy.

Imam Khomeini was born in 1902 in Khomeyn, in what is now Iran’s Markazi Province. He began studying the Quran and the Persian language from a young age. He spent more than 15 years in exile for his opposition to the shah, whom he considered as the ‘Gulf officer’ who implement US and western policies in the region.

In his writings he expanded the theory of Welayat-El Faqih, the “Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist (clerical authority)”, to include theocratic political rule by Islamic jurists.

Imam Khomeini called the United States as the “Great Satan”. He ordered support to the resistance against Israeli occupation in Palestine and Lebanon. The popular leader designated the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan an international Day for Al-Quds.