Plane crash brings U.S. military deaths to 13 as Iran war nears 2-week mark with no end in sight
Iran’s president and foreign minister were among senior officials who joined thousands of people marching through downtown Tehran on Friday, showing defiance as U.S.-Israeli airstrikes continued, sending plumes of smoke not far from the crowds, according to videos posted online.
Iran marks “Quds [Jerusalem] “day” on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in solidarity with the Palestinians, and it was the occasion for the large rally in Tehran, but the presence of senior officials was a clear signal to the United States and Israel that their ongoing strikes had not dislodged the nearly 50-year-old theocracy that rules Iran.
The new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, was not seen at the rally, and rumors swirled this week that he may have been seriously injured – perhaps even left in a coma – in the same strike that killed his father and predecessor on February 28. But Iranian observers say that based on past experience, it would be unusual for the supreme leader to appear in such an open forum as a public gathering.
“Today is Quds Day in Iran, and 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 only in Tehran, but in all cities,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a video posted online, which showed him marching among flag-waving Iranians. “This demonstrates the strong determination of the Iranian people to support the Islamic Republic, the cause of Jerusalem, Palestine and all the principles we have defended 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 recognize the strength of the Iranian people.”
President Masoud Pezeshkian was also seen in videos walking around Tehran with other rally participants, while another clip showed the head of Iran’s powerful judiciary, Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, leading a prayer.
Speaking to a reporter surrounded by others during the march, Mohseni-Ejei was briefly interrupted by the sound of another U.S. or Israeli strike hitting nearby.
As he said that Iranian leaders “want to stand with the people, by their side, until the last breath and the last moment,” a loud boom rings out and he and others around him look towards the apparent explosion, before continuing: “The people are not intimidated by these enemy attacks. They are taking precautions, but under this rain and missile bombardment, they will under no circumstances back down from resistance.
