Iranian pilgrims perform rituals outside the shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraq's most powerful Shiite cleric, was born in Iran. (Hadi Mizban - AP)
Iranian women walk through a market in the Iraqi city of Najaf, the world's leading seat of Shiite scholarship. Ties between Shiites in Iran and Iraq are close. (Photos By Hadi Mizban -- Associated Press)
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