Iran’s president and foreign minister were among senior officials who joined thousands of people marching through downtown Tehran on Friday in a show of defiance as US-Israeli air strikes continued, with smoke billowing just a short distance from the crowd, according to video posted online.
The top officials’ actions were a clear signal to the US.
Iran marks “Quds” [Jerusalem]. The day marked solidarity with Palestinians on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and was the occasion for the large rally in Tehran, but the arrival of top officials was a clear signal to the US and Israel that their ongoing attacks have not overthrown the nearly 50-year-old theocracy that rules Iran.
New supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was not seen during the rally, and there were rumours this week that he had been seriously injured – possibly even slipped into a coma – in the same attack that killed his father and predecessor on February 28. But Iran watchers say, from past experience, it would be unusual for the supreme leader to appear at an open forum such as a public street rally.
“Today is Quds Day in Iran, and despite the brutal attacks carried out today by the Zionist regime and the United States, we are seeing huge crowds of millions of people, not only in Tehran but in all cities,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a video posted online, which showed him walking among flag-waving Iranians. “It reflects the determination of the Iranian people in support of the Islamic Republic, Jerusalem, Palestine, and all the principles we have upheld over the years that have brought us to this point. God willing, we will continue with the same strength and power, and we will force our enemies to acknowledge the strength of the Iranian people.”
President Massoud Pezeshkian was also seen on video walking through Tehran with other rally attendees, while another clip showed Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ezei, the head of Iran’s powerful judiciary, leading a prayer.
While speaking to a reporter surrounded by other people during the march, Mohseni-Ajei was briefly interrupted by the sound of another American or Israeli attack nearby.
As he is saying that Iran’s leader wants to “stand with the people, with the people, until the last breath and the last moment,” there is a loud bang, and he and others around him look towards the apparent explosion before he adds, “The people are not afraid of these enemy attacks. They take precautions, but under this rain and these missile bombardments, they will not hold back in any way with resistance.”
