Friday prayer leaders (e.g., in Ilam, Urmia, Kermanshah)
Friday prayer leaders are clerics appointed by Iran’s Supreme Leader to lead weekly congregational prayers and deliver sermons in major cities, often conveying official state positions.
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Aug 21, 2026
Lean Left
Multiple Friday imams gave sermons on defense industry, hijab enforcement, and economic blockade as evidence of enemy failure.
Moderates see these sermons as reinforcing a narrative of resistance, but worry about increased social pressure on hijab and civil liberties.