AhlulBayt News Agency: More than 3.8 million Iranian pilgrims took part in this year’s Arbaeen pilgrimage, marking one of the largest religious gatherings in the world. Officials praised the Iraqi government, the Iraqi people, and the thousands of volunteer processions for their generous hosting and services to pilgrims.
Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian, Deputy Minister of Interior for Security and Law Enforcement and head of the Arbaeen Central Headquarters, speaking Monday at the holy Jamkaran Mosque in Qom, described the event as a symbol of faith and solidarity. While offering condolences on the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hassan Askari (AS) and congratulations on the beginning of the Imamate of Imam Mahdi (AS), he emphasized that this year’s pilgrimage was successfully held “under intense heat, security challenges, and despite the Zionist regime’s imposed war against Iran,” thanks to divine blessings and the guidance of the Supreme Leader.
Referring to the Leader’s instruction to make Arbaeen “cheap, easy, and safe,” Pourjamshidian noted that the cost of participation was significantly reduced. More than 2,000 buses were deployed at border crossings and 7,000 inside Iran to facilitate transportation, while thousands of meters of shading were installed along the routes, lowering temperatures for pilgrims by up to 15 degrees compared to open-air conditions.
He highlighted the close security coordination between Iran and Iraq, including the role of the Iraqi army and the Popular Mobilization Forces, joint border camps, and other measures, stressing that “not the slightest security incident occurred either in Iran or Iraq throughout the ceremony.”
The Deputy Minister also underlined the widespread role of volunteer processions, with more than 3,200 groups providing free services to pilgrims. He particularly praised the active participation of Sunni Muslims in Iran’s Kurdish and Sunni provinces and in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, describing it as “a manifestation of Islamic unity in serving the pilgrims of Imam Hussein (AS).”
Concluding his remarks, he stressed that the Arbaeen pilgrimage represents one of the largest logistical and humanitarian operations in the world, which grows more magnificent each year through the joint efforts of the people and officials. He expressed hope that by strengthening cooperation between the holy sites of Jamkaran and Karbala, conditions will be further enhanced in the coming years to ensure pilgrims perform this global ceremony with “greater peace, dignity, and security.”
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