My condolences to Iranians for the deaths of 16 firefighters

It is always a tragedy when a firefighter dies in the line of duty, but since 9/11 I have become especially sensitive to such losses. And I have not forgotten the candlelight vigils and other expressions of sympathy from Iranians in response to America's national tragedy, which took the lives of 343 firefighters when the Twin Towers collapsed.

Many thousands of Iranians turned out for the mass funerals of 16 heroic firefighters who died in the blaze that consumed a high-rise building in Tehran. Here is one of several photographs FARS has published of the funeral ceremonies.

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