Iran Tells Religious, Government Bodies to Promote Anti-U.S., Anti-Israel Messages During Muharram

Iran's Islamic Development Coordination Council has issued guidelines to government agencies, media outlets, religious organizations, and seminaries, urging them to use the Muharram mourning period to promote regime ideology and "resistance" against Israel and the United States.

The council distributed instructions to all government departments, state media, and religious mourning groups to maximize the use of Muharram for promoting Islamic values, strengthening resistance, and national unity.

Since the start of Muharram earlier this month, when Shia Muslims mourn the martyrdom of their third Imam, the Islamic Republic has sought to link national sentiment with religious beliefs.

This year's religious chants and songs blend traditional Islamic mourning with nationalistic and Iranian themes.

Large billboards and black banners featuring images of the Iranian flag, scenes of war destruction, photos of slain commanders, and slogans combining Ashura and Muharram themes have appeared across cities in Iran.

Some banners display slogans such as "Iran’s Hussein is Victorious Forever" and "Allegiance to Khamenei is Allegiance to Hussein," referring to the Shia Imam.

According to the guidelines, this year’s Muharram “has more strategic capacity than ever for deepening social solidarity, national cohesion, and strengthening the will to resist.”

The document calls on media and public institutions to “lead an effective, hope-inspiring storytelling movement based on the foundations of Ashura.”

The goals include “deepening the discourse of resistance, showcasing the Iranian nation's wise persistence against enemy aggression,” and “recreating Iran’s revolutionary and religious identity through Hosseini rituals.”

A key objective is to provide a “wise representation of Ashura’s relevance to strategic issues in the Islamic world, including Palestine, regional resistance, and confronting occupation and international Zionism.”

The document describes Muharram as “an unparalleled opportunity to revive the messages of Ashura and strengthen resistance against the Zionist regime, the United States, and other enemies of Islamic Iran.”