A mosque in Northern Virginia recently held a remembrance service, not for a local community member, but for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader of Iran. The event, hosted at the Manassas Mosque, occurred following reports of his death in a joint U.S. and Israeli operation.
During the holy month of Ramadan, an iftar – a traditional breaking of the fast – was held with explicit “condolences and glad tidings” offered for Khamenei’s “martyrdom.” An invitation circulated online framed the gathering as a moment for the community to reflect on its “responsibilities” in the wake of this event.
The Manassas Mosque, situated approximately 30 miles from Washington, D.C., has long-standing and deeply rooted connections to Tehran. It identifies itself as a center for “pious, educated, socially conscious, and active Muslims” within the region, but scrutiny reveals a more complex picture.
Concerns about the mosque’s ties to the Iranian regime are not new. In 2023, House Republicans formally alerted federal authorities, identifying the Manassas Mosque as one of several U.S. Islamic institutions suspected of close collaboration with Iran.
Evidence presented to authorities included imagery from within the mosque itself: pictures of individuals designated as “martyrs” by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – a U.S.-designated terrorist organization – who died fighting in Syria. A life-sized cutout of Ayatollah Khomeini and displays of Iranian flags and slogans were also noted.
Financial records, though limited in public disclosure due to the mosque’s status as a house of worship, reveal past funding from the Alavi Foundation. This organization, later targeted by the Justice Department, allegedly channeled funds to Bank Melli, an Iranian state-owned bank sanctioned for its support of terrorism and nuclear proliferation.
Between 2004 and 2005 alone, the mosque received approximately $193,000 from the Alavi Foundation. This financial connection raises questions about the extent of Iranian influence within the institution.
The mosque’s leadership has also publicly expressed support for groups considered terrorist organizations. Following the October 2023 attacks by Hamas, mosque officials voiced support for the “Palestinian Resistance.”
Furthermore, a now-deleted blog post openly praised Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian general killed in 2020. Soleimani was directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American service members, a fact seemingly overlooked in the mosque’s tribute.
The founder and imam of the Manassas Mosque, Abolfazl Bahram Nahidian, has a history stretching back to the 1970s, reportedly serving as Ayatollah Khomenei’s “point man” in the Washington D.C. area. Allegations suggest he received $5 million from Iran in the 1980s to bolster Iranian propaganda efforts within the United States.
