Iran's president, foreign minister and security chief appear in Tehran Quds Day march
Iran's top officials, including its president and security chief, joined the Quds Day rally on Friday in Tehran, videos from the protest have shown.
After news of the official presence broke, multiple explosions believed to be caused by US-Israeli air strikes were heard around the march, with Iran's Press TV reporting that one woman had been killed.
The officials marched despite the risk of such attacks, which have killed dozens of senior figures, including the supreme leader, since the war on Iran began on 28 February.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, security chief Ali Larijani, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were present among the demonstrators.
The president appeared to be moving through the crowd without a visible entourage, interacting with members of the public and stopping to take selfies with participants along the route.
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The head of the judiciary, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, was also seen in pictures and video footage aired by state television. He was being interviewed on air when the blasts were heard.
At the end of the march route, Mohseni-Ejei did not go to the officials’ platform in the courtyard of the Tehran University prayer grounds, and instead performed his prayer in the street, state media showed in the footage.
'The Iranian nation is determined'
In one video, Larijani gave an interview to the local ANA TV reacting to the war. “It’s clear they’re running out of steam,” Larijani said while marching.
"Trump’s problem is that he doesn’t understand that the Iranian nation is mature and determined," he added.
US and Israeli air strikes on the first day of the war killed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several family members.
His son, Mojtaba, has been named as the successor but has not yet appeared in public.
On Thursday, in his first official statement since becoming the new leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said that all US bases must be immediately closed in the region or they will be attacked.
His statement was read aloud by a presenter on IRIB, Iran's state broadcaster.
"Iran, without seeking to establish dominance in the region, is fully prepared for unity and warm relations with its neighbours," he said.
"The countries of the region must close down the US military bases; otherwise, we will be forced to attack them again."
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