Authorities in Iran have declared Friday as the final day of the holy month of Ramadan, with the Eid al-Fitr celebration set to begin on Saturday. Naija News reports that the announcement was made via state television, quoting the office of the country’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, after the conclusion of lunar observations. According to the statement, “tomorrow, Friday, will be the 30th day of the blessed month of Ramadan,” marking the end of the fasting period. Eid al-Fitr, which signifies the conclusion of Ramadan, is traditionally determined by the sighting of the crescent moon in line with the Islamic lunar calendar. The declaration was also echoed in Iraq by the country’s top Shia cleric, Ali al-Sistani, confirming a similar timeline for the end of Ramadan. The development comes shortly after Mojtaba Khamenei assumed office as Iran’s supreme leader, succeeding his father, Ali Khamenei. The elder Khamenei was reportedly assassinated in an air strike at the onset of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, which the country has described as the “Ramadan war.” Meanwhile, in Nigeria, a Sokoto-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Musa Lukuwa, on Thursday led his followers in observing Eid al-Fitr prayers, defying the directive of the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, who had declared Friday as the official Sallah day. The cleric conducted the two-unit Eid prayer at his Mabera mosque at about 9:10 a.m., drawing a large number of followers who aligned with his position. The development comes after the Sultan announced that the Shawwal crescent moon had not been sighted anywhere in Nigeria, thereby fixing Friday for Eid celebrations. However, Lukuwa rejected the position, citing reports of moon sighting in the neighbouring Niger Republic. In a message that later circulated on social media, the cleric said he relied on verified information from trusted contacts across the border. “Niger Republic is very close to us, about 100 kilometres away,” he said. “If we accept reports from cities like Kano or even Lagos, which are farther away, there is no reason to reject confirmed sightings from a neighbouring country.” Despite the apparent defiance, Lukuwa maintained that his decision was rooted in religious obligation rather than a challenge to the Sultan’s authority.