| President Hojatoleslam Mohammad Khatami said in Tehran on 16 May that the United States must apologize for the "desecration and disrespect" it has shown Shi’a Muslim shrines in the holy cities of Al-Najaf and Karbala, where it has fought militiamen loyal to Shi’a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.... Meanwhile, clerics reportedly gathered in the central Iranian city of Qom on 17 May to protest against the "desecration" of Shi’a shrines in Iraq, Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran reported. The radio station also reported on 17 May that residents of Tehran plan to hold their own rally on 19 May to denounce "the desecration of the holy cities in Iraq and massacre of innocent people by occupying forces." Similar rallies are planned in other cities throughout Iran on 21 May. |