People from across Iran attended the special ceremony marking the beginning of Persian New Year at the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Iran’s northeastern city of Mashhad.

The guardian of the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) hailed the Islamic Revolution in Iran as a movement that boosted hope and confidence of the Muslim world.

Imam Reza shrine is set to run some 40 Arba’een stations in Iraq in a bid to facilitate provision of services to Iranian and non-Iranian pilgrims converging in the city of Karbala forty days after Ashura.

Custodian of the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) warned of the common enemies of Iran and Iraq who struggle to spark tension between the neighboring countries and stressed religious beliefs, besides diplomatic ties, to be behind bilateral relations between Tehran and Baghdad.

Literary figures and artists from different denominations attended the cultural meeting on “Ghadir to Ashura” held in Iran’s holy city of Mashhad.

The holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS), eighth Shia Imam, in Iran’s northeastern city of Mashhad commemorated the Day of Arafah and Eid al-Adha ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday.