Tehran (TDI): A large explosion rocked central Tehran on Friday as thousands gathered for the annual Al-Quds Day rally, on the 14th day since the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes codenamed Operation Epic Fury and Operation Roaring Lion.
At least one person was killed in the blast, with Iranian state media identifying the victim as a woman who died from shrapnel. The explosion struck Ferdowsi Square, the epicenter of the demonstrations, an area which is also home to numerous government buildings.
The rally came a day after Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, pledged that the country would continue fighting in the face of the US-Israeli assault. In his first public message on Thursday, he called for participation in Al Quds Day events, describing them as a unifying force.
Al-Quds Day has been observed every year since 1979, when Ayatollah Khomeini declared the last Friday of Ramadan a day of Muslim solidarity with Palestinians, and opposition to Israeli occupation. Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem.
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For nearly five decades it has served two purposes, a genuine expression of solidarity with Palestine, and a demonstration of Iran’s ideological endurance. This year, with the country at war, these were intertwined.
Senior Iranian officials were among those who marched, signaling a deliberate show of defiance. President Masoud Pezeshkian was also seen at the rally, while Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization, and the Chief Justice of Iran’s judiciary were all present.
According to Iran’s Ministry of Health, at least 1,444 people have been killed and 18,551 others wounded since the US-Israel attacks on Iran on February 28. The US and Israeli governments have shown no signs of halting their offensive despite calls for de-escalation.
The economic fallout has extended well beyond the battlefield. With Iran having effectively disrupted shipping through closure of the Hormuz strait and no diplomatic resolution in sight, oil prices in the global market have remained above $100 per barrel.
Rallies in solidarity with Palestine were held across the Muslim world; people gathered in large numbers to denounce Israeli aggression, shouting slogans against the US and Israel.
