Mashhad Cleric Breaks Down in Tears at First Friday Prayer Without Khamenei
In raw footage from Mashhad’s Friday prayer sermon, prominent cleric Ahmad Alamolhoda struggled to speak through sobs as he addressed the congregation for the first time since Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death.
Alamolhoda, visibly shaken, told the mourning crowd:
“Up until now, we had never held Friday prayers without a master.”
He continued, voice breaking:
“We have lost our Agha.”
The most striking line came amid heavy weeping:
“We have no master anymore… our master is gone.”
He appealed directly to God:
“O God, You be the witness… O God, You witness our condition.”
The congregation responded with widespread crying. The clip captures the depth of grief among regime loyalists two weeks after the Supreme Leader’s killing in an airstrike.
It stands in sharp contrast to the regime’s outward show of continuity as the Assembly of Experts reportedly finalized a successor selection around the same time.