Iran on Sunday raised a red flag over its iconic mosque after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint strikes by the United States and Israel. Tensions between the US, Iran and Israel escalated to a conflict on Saturday.
After the Supreme Leader’s killing, Tehran raised what it calls the red “flag of revenge” over the dome of the Jamkaran Mosque, which is a site of religious significance, news agency ANI reported.
The flag, which signals retaliation, was raised after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vowed revenge against US and Israel. With tensions rising in the region, the red flag above the mosque in the city of Qom displays a feeling of vengeance among the regime and supporters of Khamenei.
The Jamkaran mosque, located in a suburb of Qom, a holy Shia city and the main theology education center in Iran, had acquired significance following Supreme Leader Khamenei’s rise to power in 1989, AFP had earlier reported.
Iran open to de-escalation after retaliatory strikes, Oman foreign ministry says
After retaliatory strikes in Gulf cities, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, which resulted in damage to landmarks and airspace closure, Iran is reportedly ready to engage in talks.
According to a statement by Oman’s foreign ministry, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, told his Omani counterpart t Badr Albusaidi that Tehran would be open to serious de-escalation efforts, Reuters news agency reported.
US President Donald Trump too signalled the same, telling Atlantic magazine that Iran’s new leadership wants to talk to him and that he has agreed. “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” Trump said, adding that Iran should have done this sooner. “They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long,” Trump said.
The US President had earlier said that 48 Iranian leaders were killed in the strikes launched Saturday. Three members of the US military were also killed and five seriously wounded in the operation against Iran, the first fatalities of any kind from the American side.
