Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen witnessed the Hosseini Infants Ceremony, where hundreds of women hold their babies into the air to show they are willing to offer their children to God and Imam Hossein.
The annual ceremony in Tehran honors Ali Asghar, the six-month-old son of Imam Hussein, who was killed during the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD. Held on the first Friday of Muharram, it began in 2003 at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla Mosque and has since expanded to over 8,500 gatherings across Iran and 45 other countries. Mothers dress their babies in symbolic green and white garments, lifting them into the air in mourning, with headbands bearing Ali Asghar’s name to express grief and solidarity.
“Martyrdom is a hugely important concept here in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Pleitgen said. “We're currently at an event where hundreds of women hold their babies into the air to show that they're willing to offer their children as martyrs for God and for Imam Husayn.”
“This goes back to the early days of Shiite Islam, where Imam Husayn, when he was besieged in Karbala, he held up his newborn baby and asked the enemy that was besieging Karbala to give the baby water, and instead the enemy killed the baby,” he continued.
CNN reported that the ceremony expressed religious and political sentiments, with many of the women chanting against the United States and Israel. Pleitgen said that they were chanting “death to America” and “death to Israel.”
NEW: Hundreds of women hold up their babies into the air to show they're willing to offer them up as martyrs in Tehran, Iran according to CNN.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 29, 2025
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen witnessed the ceremony.
"Martyrdom is a hugely important concept here in the Islamic Republic of Iran."
"We're… pic.twitter.com/8GFLKlc7QU
The event also reportedly had a children's choir that was singing songs as videos were shown of Iran's missile program in action against Israel. The videos also showed the Trump administration’s attack on the Iranian nuclear installations.
The ceremony is said to be deeply rooted in Shiite tradition, underscoring themes of sacrifice, innocence, and perseverance in the face of oppression.