Tehran, August 27: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the death of Abdulaziz al-Hakim, leader of one of Iraq’s most powerful Shiite political groups, a big loss for the Iraqi nation, state media reported Thursday.
In his condolence message, carried by the ILNA news agency, Ahmadinejad said al-Hakim had dedicated his life to promoting Islam and justice in Iraq.
Al-Hakim died Wednesday in a Tehran hospital after a battle with lung cancer.
A mourning ceremony was held Thursday in front of the Iraqi embassy in Tehran before his body was transferred to Najaf in southern Iraq.
Hundreds of Iranians, including Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, attended the ceremony in Tehran.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also issued a condolence message Thursday and described al-Hakim’s death not only as a big loss for Iraq but also an agonizing event for Iran, which is predominately Shiite.
The Iranian leader said in his message, carried by the official news agency IRNA, that al-Hakim was the symbol of Iraq’s fight against tyranny in general and the struggle against former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in particular.
Al-Hakim was imprisoned three times for insurgency activities under Saddam and lost six brothers to assassinations ordered by the then-Iraqi president. He went into exile in Iran, where he lived for more than two decades.
–Agencies