Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Iran’s national security chief appeared in public alongside thousands of demonstrators in Tehran on Friday, delivering a defiant message to Washington and Tel Aviv as Israeli airstrikes struck parts of the Iranian capital during the annual Quds Day rally.
Ali Larijani, a senior Iranian security official, joined crowds gathered in central Tehran for the annual Quds Day demonstration, an event traditionally held in support of the Palestinian cause. The rally took place despite a fresh wave of airstrikes carried out by Israel amid the escalating regional conflict.
Speaking in a live interview broadcast on Iranian state television, Larijani mocked Donald Trump and dismissed the strikes as a sign of weakness.
“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 said while marching among protesters.
He accused the US president of misjudging Iranian resolve, adding that external pressure would only strengthen public determination.
“Trump doesn’t understand that the Iranian people are a brave nation, a strong nation, a determined nation. The more he presses, the stronger the nation’s determination will become,” Larijani said.
The appearance marked one of the most prominent public displays by a senior Iranian official since the killing of Iran’s long-time supreme leader Ali Khamenei in a strike on February 28 that also killed several senior officials. Since then, Iran’s leadership has sought to project stability and continuity under the country’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
During Friday’s rally, demonstrators waved Iranian flags and held posters of Mojtaba Khamenei, while some placards carried messages condemning both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Footage circulating online showed the moment some protesters noticed a nearby explosion as an Israeli strike hit an area of the capital not far from the demonstration. A plume of smoke rose into the sky as people turned their heads toward the blast, though the rally largely continued despite the incident.
Iranian media reported that at least one woman attending the rally was killed by shrapnel during the strikes, underscoring the risks civilians face as fighting increasingly spills into populated areas.
The annual Quds Day rallies held across Iran and in some other countries during the final days of Ramadan, have long served as a platform for Iranian leaders to express support for Palestinians and opposition to Israel. This year’s demonstrations took place under extraordinary circumstances, with Iranian cities experiencing repeated airstrikes amid the widening confrontation involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.
The escalating conflict has triggered military exchanges across several fronts in the Middle East, with Iran and allied groups launching retaliatory attacks against US and Israeli interests in response to the ongoing bombardment of Iranian targets.
Despite the strikes on Tehran, Iranian officials used the demonstrations to signal that the government remains in control and that public support for resistance against foreign pressure remains strong.
Larijani, speaking defiantly as the rally continued, reiterated that Iran would not back down despite the growing military pressure from Washington and its allies.
