Tehran  - Iran on Tuesday commemorated the 19th anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic republic, at a ceremony in the Khomeini Mausoleum in southern Tehran.

The ceremony was attended by tens of thousands of people as well as high-ranking political and military officials of the Islamic state, including Khomeini's successor Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei, who has been Iran's supreme leader since 1989 and has the final say on all state affairs, once again outlined the role of Khomeini in the course of the 28-year Islamic revolution.

Khomeini was the main force behind the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran and initiator of an Islamic system which has turned into a major political challenge for the West. (dpa)