Iran commemorates soldiers slain during war with Iraq

Iran on Thursday held state funerals for a number of Iranian military personnel killed during the Iraq-Iran War (1980-1988) after their remains were repatriated earlier this week.

Attended by Iranian political and military officials, Thursday’s funerals were held on the premises of the University of Tehran.

After additional funerals are held in other Iranian provinces (including Eastern Azerbaijan, Isfahan, Kermanshah and Khurasan), the remains of 135 slain soldiers -- located by the Iraqi authorities earlier this year -- will be buried.

During the 1980s, the two countries fought a devastating conflict that left hundreds of thousands dead and resulted in economic losses estimated at $1 trillion.

Relations between Baghdad and Tehran improved after the overthrow of the Saddam Hussein regime following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Since then, the two countries have continued to exchange the remains of slain soldiers under an agreement brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross.