Quds Day in Iran

Following the Assembly of Experts’ election of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as “leader of the revolution,” Iran’s state-censored media channels reported on Quds Day rallies across the country. Most of Iran’s political leadership took to the streets, even as bombardments of Tehran reportedly killed a woman. There were two notable absences – the new supreme leader, who has not been seen publicly since the first day of the war on February 28, and Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf, who does not appear to have participated. While the rallies suggest the regime’s resilience, the absence of the new supreme leader, who was reportedly injured in the February 28 strikes that killed the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has further fueled doubts about his health.

• March 8: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps News’ Telegram channel released an official statement from the Assembly of Experts announcing the election of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader.
• March 12: IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency released Mojtaba Khamenei’s first message after his election as supreme leader, in which he vowed to avenge the attacks against Iran.
• March 13: Tasnim News Agency reported on Quds Day rallies in Iran, describing them as a “declaration of allegiance of the people to the supreme leader of the revolution.”
• March 13: The IRGC’s official Telegram channel claimed a woman was killed at a Quds Day rally in Tehran after it was targeted by “the enemy.”
• March 13: IRGC-affiliated Saberin News Agency’s Telegram channel reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian was present at Quds Day rallies in Tehran.
• March 13: IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency reported that Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei also attended a Quds Day rally in Tehran.
• March 13: Supreme National Security Council mouthpiece Nour News Agency reported that SNSC Secretary Ali Larijani went to Quds Day rallies in Tehran.
• March 13: Fars News Agency’s Telegram channel reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was at a Quds Day rally in Tehran.

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