Iran marks 20th anniversary of Ayatollah Khomeini's death

Iran on Thursday commemorated the 20th anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, at a ceremony in the Khomeini Mausoleum in southern Tehran.Tens of thousands of people as well as high-ranking political and military officials of the Islamic state, including Khomeini's successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attended the ceremony.
Khamenei, who has been Iran's supreme leader since 1989 and has the final say on all state affairs, once again outlined the role of Khomeini in the Islamic revolution. Khomeini was the driving force behind the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran and initiator of an Islamic system that has turned into a major political challenge for the West.