US-Iran-Israel War: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, along with other key officials, attended a Quds Day rally in Tehran, where participants were seen taking photographs with the leaders, according to multiple reports on Friday. Later, US and Israeli strikes targeted areas near the rally.
Tehran Leaders Attend Quds Day Rally Amid US-Israeli Strikes
Pezeshkian was seen greeting supporters and posing for photographs on rain-spatteed streets during the annual Quds Day rally in support of the Palestinian cause, AP reported. State TV showed other key officials attending the event, including judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, national police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan, and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. Their presence was widely viewed as an open show of defiance.
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National security chief Ali Larijani, who also attended the Quds Day Rally, described the recent strikes on the capital as acts "out of desperation."
"These attacks are out of fear, out of desperation. One who is strong wouldn't bomb demonstrations at all. It's clear that it has failed," State TV quoted Larijani as saying.
While judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei was speaking to a state television reporter during the demonstration, a strike occurred nearby. His bodyguards quickly encircled him, as he raised his fist and said Iran "under this rain and missiles will never withdraw."
He said, "Our people are not afraid of the bombing; we will continue along this route.”
Iranian Leaders Show Defiance Amid US-Israeli Strikes
The presence of senior Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, at Tehran's Quds Day rally marked the most high-profile public appearance since the February 28 strike that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top officials.
Huge explosions were heard in central Tehran on Friday in an area not far from the demonstration site, state television reported.
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Israel had previously warned that it would target areas in central Tehran. However, the decision to proceed with the march and Israel's threat to target the area highlighted the determination on both sides nearly two weeks into a conflict that has shaken the global economy and shows no sign of letting up.
Attendees were seen holding images of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, while marching in support of the Palestinian cause and showing opposition to Israel. According to AFP, some attendees trampled the images of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the march.