Million Mourn at Khomeini Tomb

TEHRAN — More than 1 million mourners gathered today around the gold-domed tomb of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to mark the first anniversary of his death, some beating their chests in a frenzy of grief.

“Death to America,” blared loudspeakers around the compound. “Death to Israel.”

Inside the packed shrine, mourners listened as speakers recited verses from the Koran, the Islamic holy book. The gray-bearded Khomeini seemed to stare sternly at the crowd from pictures hung on the pillars.

The event, which climaxed a four-day mourning period, gathered no more than 3 million people around the shrine on the outskirts of Tehran, according to foreign reporters who flew over the scene by helicopter.

Iran’s official news media, however, said the occasion drew 8 million to 9 million people.