Senior officials including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and National Security Council chief Ali Larijani appear publicly as explosions are heard near the annual rally.
In a rare public appearance since the outbreak of the ongoing conflict, several senior Iranian leaders took part in the annual Quds Day march in central Tehran on Friday, even as explosions were heard near the gathering following reported airstrikes.
الرئيس الإيراني مسعود بزشكيان يشارك في مسيرة "يوم القدس" في ظل التصعيد العسكري المتواصل بين إيران وأميركا وإسرائيل
الحدث pic.twitter.com/W90zLqmBak
— الحدث EXTRA (@alhadathextra) March 13, 2026
Footage broadcast by Iranian state television showed Masoud Pezeshkian, Ali Larijani, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and Police Commander Ahmad Reza Radan walking among crowds gathered to mark the annual pro-Palestinian rally.
The demonstration coincided with airstrikes near the area, which reportedly killed at least one person, according to Iranian state media. The strikes came shortly after Israel issued evacuation warnings for two districts in central Tehran located close to the march route.
بمفرده بلا حماية ولا مواكب حراسة.. الرئيس الإيراني #مسعود_بزشكيان يتحدى العدوان ويشارك في مسيرات يوم القدس العالمي رغم الغارات والقصف#سليمان_الفهد pic.twitter.com/cc3lyyHxUB
— سليمان الفهد (@SulaimanALFAHD1) March 13, 2026
Participants were seen approaching President Pezeshkian to take photographs as the procession continued through the capital despite the heightened security situation.
According to state television, powerful explosions were heard in central Tehran during the event, with airstrikes targeting locations “close to the gathering.” Iran’s official news agency reported that at least one person was killed in an explosion that followed a strike on the city.
An explosion was also heard while Judiciary Chief Mohseni-Ejei was speaking to television crews. “Our people are not afraid of bombing. We will continue on this path,” he said.
Speaking to state television shortly after one of the blasts, Larijani said the strikes demonstrated “fear and despair.” “Strong nations do not bomb demonstrations. It is clear that this attack has failed,” he said.
Larijani also criticized Donald Trump, saying the U.S. president “does not understand that the Iranian people are a brave and determined nation. The more pressure there is, the stronger this nation’s resolve becomes.”
The public appearance by senior officials comes weeks after the start of the United States–Israel strikes on Iran (2026), which began on February 28 with attacks on central Tehran.
Iranian authorities previously confirmed that Ali Khamenei and several other senior leaders were killed during early strikes on the capital.
Despite the escalating conflict, thousands of demonstrators gathered for the annual rally commemorating Quds Day, an event established by Ruhollah Khomeini and observed in Iran every year during the month of Ramadan in support of Palestinians.
Protesters carried portraits of the late Khamenei alongside images of his successor Mojtaba Khamenei, while others stepped on images of Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to journalists on the ground.
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