TEHRAN – The new mural at Valiasr Square in Tehran was unveiled on Saturday with the images of martyred commanders and nuclear scientists, who have lost their lives in the Zionist regime's aggression against Iran, as well as the foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with people of every walk of life, all saluting by raising a hand to their head with a large flag of Iran waving on a pole above their heads.

Featuring the slogan “I am the soldier of Iran,” the mural shows people’s love of their country and their readiness to protect it, IRNA reported.

The mural also has Mount Damavand, the highest peak in Iran and Western Asia, in the background with several missiles fired into sky from the foothills.

The majestic peak of Damavand has transcended its role as a mere mountain and emerged as a powerful emblem of steadfastness and unity. It has had a notable role in Iranian mythology and literature. It is regarded as an epic mountain in Shahnameh, the popular Iranian book of poems by Ferdowsi, and also a symbol of resistance and strength in Iranian folk stories.

The Iranian martyrs depicted on the mural include Major General Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of joint staff of Iran's Armed Forces, and Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force.

Salami and Bagheri were assassinated during Israeli airstrike on their apartment buildings in the early hours of Friday, June 13. Hajizadeh was martyred in an Israeli attack on an IRGC facility in Iran.

Fereydoun Abbasi, a nuclear scientist and former nuclear chief of Iran, and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, another prominent nuclear scientist and the president of the Islamic Azad University of Iran, are also among the faces seen in the mural. They were also targeted in separate attacks on their residences in Tehran.

Also written on the mural is a verse line from the renowned Persian poet Mehdi Akhavan-Saless (1928-1990), “If I love anything in the world, I love you ancient homeland,” which shows the depth of the poet’s nationalism.

The verse line accompanied by the images on the mural is a tribute to Iran's rich history and culture, expressing deep affection of Iranians for their homeland.

In the early hours of June 13, Israel launched an unprovoked, large-scale armed attack against Iran. This was an egregious act of aggression by every definition.

Since then, through coordinated air, missile, and drone strikes, it has targeted residential neighborhoods, civilian infrastructure, public authorities, and nuclear facilities subject to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, which has resulted in the martyrdom of senior military commanders, prominent scientists, and innocent civilians, including women and children.

In response to the Israeli aggression on Iranian territory, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has launched a large-scale retaliatory operation, codenamed “True Promise 3,” targeting multiple Israeli military and air bases through coordinated missile and drone strikes deep inside occupied territories.

SS/SAB