Zahra Hussain Hakeem, a resident of from holy city of Karbala made remarks during a visit to Imam Khomeini’s holy mausoleum of Imam Khomeini, which is located on the outskirts of the Iranian capital, Tehran.
A vast majority of the Iraqi people shows their deep devotion towards the great ideals of Imam Khomeini and he became popular among the Iraqi mass public during his exile and stay in Iraq decades ago, the pilgrim said.
Imam Khomeini was deeply concerned about the fate of Iraqi nation during the rule of former dictator Saddam, and the Islamic Republic welcomed thousands of Iraqis who fled Saddam brutality and sought refuge in Iran during this period.
The prominent pilgrim also went onto say that several Iraqis supported the Islamic Republic after the then Saddam Baath regime imposed a long war against Iran.
Supported by some regional and international powers, the Saddam regime imposed a war against Iran via land and air in September 1980. The war that followed lasted for eight years and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
Despite Iraq’s imposed war on Iran during the Saddam era, both countries now enjoy great political, cultural and religious ties.
The victory of the Islamic Revolution under the wise leadership of Imam Khomeini in 1979 strengthened the Muslim and oppressed nations in the Mideast region and beyond.