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New Delhi
Iran's supreme leader is expected to lead the main weekly Muslim prayers in Tehran on Friday, after a traumatic month in which the United States killed its top general Qasem Soleimani and the country's military accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet.
According to Reuters, the last time Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led Friday prayers at Tehran's Mosalla mosque was in February 2012, on the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic revolution and at a time of crisis over the Iran nuclear issue.
The supreme leader's appearance comes after Iran retaliated to the killing of Soleimani by launching missile strikes at US military targets in Iraq with a volley of missiles.
The strike, which caused significant material damage, wounded 11 US troops, according to a statement by US Central Command released Thursday, which contradicted the military's previous assessment of no casualties.
The strike was followed by Iran ''accidentally'' downing a Ukrainian passenger jet which caused widespread outrage in Iran and around the world.
In Iran, the air disaster sparked public outrage and anti-government demonstrations took place every day from Saturday to Wednesday.
Security forces were deployed across the capital in response to the protests.
The hostility between Washington and Tehran has increased since Trump withdrew the United States from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed biting sanctions.
I