TEHRAN – A commemoration service was held at the Iranian embassy in Baghdad on Thursday evening to pay tribute to Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, chief of the Expediency Council who died late on Monday at the age of 70.

Attending the event, dozens of senior Iraqi figures, including former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, expressed their sympathies with the Iranian government and nation over the ayatollah’s death, ISNA reported.

Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian, who was in Iraq, also attended the service.

Ayatollah Shahroudi passed away at a hospital in Tehran after his health deteriorated due to a chronic disease.

MH/PA