DEARBORN, Mich. (VINnews) — A Shiite mosque in Dearborn held on Sunday a memorial service for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in which speakers praised the longtime cleric and delivered sharply critical remarks about the United States, according to video published by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

The Washington-based monitoring group, which translates and analyzes Arabic and Farsi media, posted footage of the event on its website. In the video, speakers at the mosque describe Khamenei as a revered religious leader and characterize his death as a significant loss to the Muslim world.

Dearborn Shiite Mosque Memorial for Khamenei: This Country Was Built by Devil-Worshipers; Statue of Liberty Is Lucifer; Khamenei Was the Great Leader of Our Time, Received Martyrdom After 86 Years of Jihad – We Want Our Children to Grow Up with This Culture pic.twitter.com/PDYfHMi9A4

— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) March 3, 2026

One speaker, according to MEMRI’s translation, referred to the United States in religious terms associated with evil and said the congregation would continue to promote Khamenei’s teachings. The video shows attendees gathered inside the mosque during the memorial program.

It was not immediately clear when the event took place. Mosque officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit, is home to one of the largest Arab American communities in the United States. The memorial comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and increased scrutiny of political speech related to Iran.

MEMRI said it translated and disseminated the footage from the mosque’s event.