Badr Organization parades Iranian missile replicas inside Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala

KARBALA — Senior Badr Organization member Mohammed Mahdi Al-Bayati said the group’s display of missile and drone replicas inside the Imam Hussein shrine during Arbaeen in Karbala was intended as a “simulation” of Iranian ballistic missiles fired at Tel Aviv during the 12-day conflict, describing it as a gesture of “solidarity with Iran.”

The Badr Organization, led by Hadi Al-Amiri, is an influential Iraqi Shiite political party and paramilitary group that for decades has maintained close ties to Iran.

A video circulating on social media shows Badr members in military attire carrying the models into the shrine, sparking widespread debate. The organization has not issued an official statement on the incident.

Al-Bayati told 964media: “We participated today in the Hussaini procession, and it was not a procession but rather a beautiful jihadi artistic scene with many meanings. The participants came from all over Iraq, from Badr, the families of martyrs, and other groups from across the country.”

Arbaeen marks the end of the 40-day mourning period after Ashura, the day Imam Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, was killed in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. The annual pilgrimage draws millions of visitors to Karbala.

He added that the display included “photos of martyrs from Gaza, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, and the Islamic Republic, denouncing American crimes through chants and revolutionary, jihadi-themed recitations.”

Al-Bayati described the event as having “a special flavor: revolutionary and international,” saying Islam requires solidarity with Muslims worldwide: “We must feel the suffering of Muslims in Gaza, Palestine, Lebanon, and everywhere.”

He emphasized that the missiles on display were not real but “models similar to Iranian ballistic missiles,” meant to convey the message that “the Islamic Republic, through its own capabilities, managed to launch hundreds of missiles deep into Israel, striking military and security institutions.”