ALBAWABA - In an unusual move, an Iranian campaign was launched by religious groups in Tehran to collect $1.3 million to fund the ritual slaughter of 10,000 sheep as a religious offering for Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s health, who was injured in the U.S.-Israel February attack.
Reuters reported earlier this year, citing three people close to his inner circle, that Mojtaba suffered severe facial and leg injuries in the strike that killed his father, Ali Khamenei, and other members of his family. The sources added that the supreme leader's face was disfigured in the airstrike by the U.S. and Israel in central Tehran.
According to the Iran International website, the campaign was launched with the participation of Heyat-e Gharar, a religious group active on the Iranian messaging platform Eitaa, to sacrifice 10,000 sheep for Khamenei's health, with each animal priced at 250 million Iranian rials (around $132).
People are not asked to cover the full cost of a sheep; instead, they can offer a smaller amount. At the advertised price, the 10,000 sheep are expected to cost 2.5 trillion rials, or approximately $1.32 million.
Iran International further mentioned that the money is being collected via accounts belonging to the Qom-based Hazrat Khadijeh Institute.
Abdolkarim Abedini, an ex-representative of the Supreme Leader in Qazvin province and former Friday Prayer leader of Qazvin, called on Iranians to donate in the campaign.
He urged people in a video statement to donate to sacrifice 10,000 sheep for Khamenei's health and to ward off what he called the "Zionist-American enemy," calling on people to "hurry" to take part.
The campaign was rebuked and heavily slammed by Iranians, considering the harsh economic situation in the country and high food prices, in addition to the new American economic sanctions on the Persian country.
Many denounced spending much money on a religious ritual when most people in Iran can't afford lamb. A person wrote on X, "They can’t sell oil, so they use different methods to raise money."
Another commented, "These people truly live in the Stone Age."
An Iranian woman holds up an image of Iran’s new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as she takes part in a rally dubbed “Sacrificed Girls” to pay tribute to women killed during the Middle East war, in Tehran on April 17, 2026. AFP
