What is the significance of Ayatollah Khamenei addressing Friday prayers?

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The Iranian leader is trying to reassert his authority after protests and allegations of incompetence in connection with the downing of a Ukrainian plane with the loss of 176 lives. When he addressed the thousands of worshippers, he praised the military commander, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed earlier this month in a US drone strike. Ellie Geranmayeh, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, tells the BBC's Dan Damon about the significance of his speech. Photo: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Copyright: Getty Images