Thousands of people took to the streets of Tehran to participate in the annual demonstrations in support of the Palestinian people, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reports.
The demonstrators waved Palestinian and Iranian flags, as well as flags of the Iranian-backed Lebanese movement “Hezbollah“. They carried banners with the inscriptions “Death to America“ and “Death to Israel“, chanting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans. State television broadcast footage of similar marches across the country.
In a video message broadcast on the eve of Quds Day (Jerusalem), Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned the "tricks" and "false declarations" of Iran's enemies.
Quds Day commemorations have been held annually since 1979 at the initiative of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. They are traditionally organized on the last Friday of Ramadan with the demand for the return of Jerusalem to the Palestinians.
Iranian authorities have called on citizens to join the marches against Israel, which Tehran considers its main enemy.
“The resistance will continue until the liberation of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Zionist regime“, the General Staff of the Armed Forces said in an official statement. It emphasized that “the only solution to the Palestinian issue is the continuation of the resistance and global solidarity against the Zionist regime“.