Iranians mourn their war dead during Ashura, holiest day on Shi'ite Muslim calendar

KARBALA, Iraq - Carrying photos of loved ones killed in the war with the U.S. and Israel, Iranian pilgrims crossed into the Iraqi holy city of Karbala to commemorate Ashura, the holiest day on the Shi'ite Muslim calendar.

Ashura falls on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, and marks the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, who was killed in battle in 680 in Karbala.

The annual mourning ritual this year has taken on extra significance, with at least 3,000 killed in Iran before a fragile ceasefire took hold in April and a framework deal to end the conflict was signed by the U.S. and Iran this month.

Crowds moving through the streets ahead of Thursday's commemorations could be seen carrying portraits of some of the Iranians killed, the faces of the mourners visible among the flags and black banners of Ashura.

Among the crowds, a woman clutched a portrait of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war, on February 28, while an Iranian flag bearing his portrait was waved in the crowd.

Dozens of people were also killed in Iranian attacks on Israel and U.S. bases and the Gulf states.

Every year, Shi'ite Muslims from across the world converge on Karbala to commemorate Ashura.

Crowds filled the area around the Imam Abbas shrine, where worshippers participated in mourning processions, beat drums and performed ritual self-flagellation as a sign of grief.

(Reporting by Ahmed Saeed; Writing by Yomna Ehab; Editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak and Alison Williams)