Gathering in defiance of the US-Israeli strikes, senior Iranian officials joined the masses in public, as thousands of people marched through central Tehran on Friday in observance of Quds Day.
Among those officials attending the rally were President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who were seen walking through crowds waving Iranian and Palestinian flags.
Videos shared online showed plumes of black smoke rising in parts of the capital not far from the gathering as strikes were reported nearby, though it did not deter the public from marking the occasion.
Quds Day, observed on the final Friday of Ramadan, is traditionally marked by demonstrations across Iran in Palestinian solidarity. This year’s rally carried added significance as the war between Iran and the US-Israeli alliance entered its second week, as a significant chunk of the country’s leadership was eliminated.
The presence of senior officials was intended to signal that the country’s leadership remained in control despite continued bombardment, and the void in the power nexus, reports CBS News.
In a video recorded during the march, Araghchi said large crowds had gathered not only in Tehran but in cities across the country.
“Despite the brutal attacks carried out today by the Zionist regime and the United States, we are witnessing a massive turnout — millions of people — not just in Tehran, but across all cities,” he said.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, did not appear at the rally. His absence comes amid speculation that he has likely suffered from light injuries during the opening strikes of the war on February 28, in which his father and long-time ruling supreme leader Ali Khamenei, was killed.
Another senior figure present was judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, who led prayers during the gathering.
While speaking to reporters during the march, Mohseni-Ejei was briefly interrupted by the sound of an explosion believed to be another nearby strike.
“The people are not intimidated by these enemy attacks,” he said after the blast. “They take precautions, but under this rain and under these missile bombardments, they will in no way retreat from resistance.”
