Iranians hold Eid prayers in Tehran’s grand mosque

Thousands of Iranian worshippers on Saturday converged on Tehran’s grand mosque for Eid al-Fitr prayers, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The Associated Press footage showed worshippers lining up at Imam Khomeini Mosalla and in its vast courtyard for the prayers as Israel and the United States continued launching massive airstrikes against Iran.

Masoud Alibenam (50) said it’s “really a painful feeling” that the Eid prayers are being offered without Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first days of the war. “The leader (Khamenei) is no longer here, and we are offering the prayers in his absence.”