Khadije Saqafi, the wife of the late leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, has passed away at the age of 93.
"After a life time of patience and perseverance, and months of sick health, the dear and respected wife of Imam Khomeini has finally passed way, leaving friends of the late Imam in grief," a statement issued by her grandson Hassan Khomeini said.
"Although marriage to the late Leader of the Revolution bestowed a great deal of happiness and pride on her, it had also left her with the pain of exile, struggle, and separation from her loved ones...," added the Saturday statement,- Iranian Press TV reports.
Hassan Khomeini called Khadijeh Saqafi the 'Mother of Islamic Revolution', and said that 'exceptional fortitude, realism and faith in God' were the notable characteristics of her personality.
Khadije Saqafi married the future leader of the Islamic Revolution in 1931, and later gave birth to seven children, though only five survived infancy.
Her eldest son Mostafa was murdered in 1977 while in exile with his father in the Iraqi city of Najaf. His murder is believed to have been carried out by SAVAK, the notorious intelligence service of Iran's former regime.
After news of Khadije Saqafi demise was released, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and former president Ali-Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani expressed their condolences to the people of Iran, in two separate statements.