Mahdi Rasouli

Mahdi Rasouli is an Iranian maddah (eulogist) from Zanjan who leads the Tharallah religious association (hey'at) of his city and recites in Persian, Arabic and Azerbaijani Turkish. ^{1 2} The British news website Middle East Eye has described him as among the most prominent religious singers in Iran, a figure close to the country's establishment. ¹ His verified Instagram account counted 1,546,790 followers in November 2026 — a dated platform figure, read on the platform on 7 November 2026, not a measurement the museum makes itself. ³

Mahdi Rasouli was born on 3 August 1988 in Zanjan, in north-western Iran; Persian Wikipedia gives his birth date in the Persian calendar as 12 Mordad 1367. ^{2 1} His father, Javad Rasouli, was himself a wartime eulogist and a member of the command of the 36th Ansar al-Mahdi Brigade of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during the Iran–Iraq War, and was killed in November 1990 while returning from the Baneh area of Kurdistan, when Rasouli was about two years old. ¹ He graduated in civil engineering from the University of Zanjan and holds a bachelor's in cultural-affairs management and a master's in Qur'an and hadith sciences from Dar al-Hadith University, according to Persian Wikipedia, citing ILNA. ²

Rasouli leads the Tharallah hey'at of Zanjan, continuing his father's vocation. ^{1 2} He recites in Persian, Arabic and Azerbaijani Turkish, and Iranian media describe him as one of the country's prominent Azeri-language eulogists; he has led mourning ceremonies during Muharram in Iran, Iraq and Turkey, including in Istanbul and Iğdır. ¹ He has also recited at the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah in Tehran, inside the office complex of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. ¹

Rasouli is best known for politically themed recitations in the martial rajaz style supporting the Iranian state and its regional policy. ¹ His anthem "Bezan ke khoob mizani" ("Strike, for you strike well"), composed in praise of Iran's missile strikes, circulated widely during the Iran–Israel war and was treated by Iranian media as a cultural emblem of the conflict. ¹ The commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Mousavi, subsequently sent him a written message of appreciation, describing eulogists as "soft-power officers". ¹ Another of his well-known pieces is the rajaz "Kheybar Kheybar ya Sahyoun". ¹

According to the London-based opposition broadcaster Iran International, at a Basij Day ceremony at the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah on 26 November 2025 Rasouli recited verses aimed at the United States and Israel, declaring that Iran's "one goal" was "the heart of Tel Aviv", and the broadcaster characterised his remarks about U.S. president Donald Trump as a taunt. ¹ The diaspora outlet IranWire has described Rasouli as having "acted as the regime's official megaphone" during the confrontation with the United States and Israel. ¹ These characterisations come from critical outlets and are reported here attributed to their sources.

His main Instagram account (@mahdirasuli_ir) is a verified account; it counted 1,546,790 followers when read on the platform on 7 November 2026, and its external link leads to a link page named MahdiRasouliOfficial. ³ Two further pages in his name were read the same day: the unverified @mahdirasuoli.ir, at 731,107 followers, and @mahdirasouli.info, which directs visitors to his channels, at 229,667 followers; neither page's count is ever added to the main account's. ^{4 5}

• The English Wikipedia article on Mahdi Rasouli, read in full on 7 November 2026. ¹
• The Persian Wikipedia article on Mahdi Rasouli, read in full on 7 November 2026. ²
• The Arabic Wikipedia article on Mahdi Rasouli, read in full on 7 November 2026. ⁶
• His verified Instagram account (@mahdirasuli_ir), read on the platform on 7 November 2026. ³
• The two other pages in his name on Instagram, read on the platform on 7 November 2026. ^{4 5}