President Joins Thousands of Iranians on Streets Protesting against Israeli – US Strikes
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 13: The Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian joined thousands of demonstrators in Tehran on Friday to participate in a large protest rally marking the International Quds Day, an annual event held on the last Friday of Ramadan in support of Palestinians.
Iranians were seen taking photos with President Pezeshkian as he and other top leaders joined the rally which later saw US – Israeli strikes nearby in which at least one woman was killed.
State TV showed President Pezeshkian greeting supporters and posing for selfies on the rain-spattered streets at the annual rally in support of the Palestinian cause. National security chief Ali Larijani was there too. He dismissed the latest strikes on the capital as being “out of desperation.”
The Iranian president walked among the crowds, greeting participants and posing for photographs, as demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans against Israel and the United States. Senior government officials and security leaders were also present at the rally, which was widely attended and supported by the state.
The demonstration took place amid heightened regional tensions and ongoing military confrontations involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. During the rally, explosions were reported near the protest area, causing panic among some participants. Local reports indicated that at least one person was killed and several others were injured by shrapnel.
Despite the security concerns, the rally continued as Iranian leaders’ emphasized unity and resistance. Government officials used the event to reaffirm Iran’s political stance in support of Palestinians and to condemn Israeli military actions. The gathering in Tehran was part of a series of Quds Day demonstrations held across Iran, highlighting the country’s continued involvement in Middle Eastern political issues during a period of escalating conflict in the region.
Other key officials attending in an open show of defiance included judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, national police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, according to state TV images. “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,” Larijani told state TV.
Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei was giving an interview to a state television reporter at the demonstration when a strike happened. His bodyguards encircled him, as he raised his fist and said Iran “under this rain and missiles will never withdraw.” He further said, “Our people are not afraid of the bombing, we will continue along this route.”
Russian news outlets also shared videos of the President and others mingling with the crowd. Striking a defiant tone, he said US President Donald Trump “doesn’t understand that the Iranian people are a brave nation, a strong nation, a determined nation.” He added, “The more he presses, the stronger the nation’s determination will become.”
Their presence was the most high-profile public showing by Iranian officials since the February 28 strike that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials. Huge explosions rocked central Tehran on Friday in an area not far from where the demonstration was being held, state television said.
Araghchi blamed the actions of Israel and the US for the hike in global energy prices, saying “they created this disaster for the region and must be held accountable.” Israel had earlier warned that it would target the area in central Tehran. But the decision to proceed with the march, and Israel’s threat to target the area, underscored the fierce determination on both sides nearly two weeks into a war that has rattled the global economy and shows no sign of letting up.
Holding images of Ali Khamenei and his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei, people marched through Tehran in the annual show of support for the Palestinian cause and show of opposition to Israel, trampling on images of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Several huge explosions were heard across central Tehran on Friday, the state media reported. It also added that the strikes had hit an area not far from where a pro-government demonstration was being held. US President Donald Trump issued a new threat online to Iran, writing: “Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today.”
Trump made the post on Friday on his Truth Social website, saying that “Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth.” “They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them,” Trump wrote. “What a great honour it is to do so!”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country’s attacks were creating conditions for the Iranian population to topple the government. “It is in your hands,” Netanyahu said at a news conference, addressing the Iranian people. “We are creating the optimal conditions for the fall of the regime.” Since the start of the war, US and Israeli strikes have targeted security checkpoints in Iran to undermine the government’s ability to suppress dissent, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, the US-based independent monitoring group known as ACLED.
Saudi Arabia intercepted dozens of drones entering its airspace, the defence ministry said Friday, as Iran carries out attacks on oil-rich Gulf countries in response to US-Israeli strikes. “Twelve drones were intercepted and destroyed after entering Saudi airspace,” a ministry spokesperson posted on X, after authorities reported at least 16 other drones were also shot down.
