- Explosion struck Tehran's Ferdowsi Square during pro-government Quds Day protests
- Israel warned of military operations in the area prior to the blast
- Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei urged mass turnout for Quds Day rallies
A huge explosion struck Iran's capital on Friday where a pro-government demonstration was being held. Ferdowsi Square was hit with strikes, which is just down Enghelab Street where the Quds or Jerusalem Day demonstrations were being held.
A plume of gray smoke rose as demonstrators screamed "Death to Israel!" and "Death to America!", Tasnim news agency reported.
Israel's Big Warning
Israel had warned it could strike in the area just before the blast. Israel's military issued a warning on its Farsi-language X account that it would "conduct operations" there later in the day.
"Your presence in these areas puts your life at risk," the Israeli military said.
It wasn't clear how people in Tehran would have been able to see the message, with the internet broadly shut down by Iran's theocracy, though many have workarounds.
The cause of the blast is not known yet.
Mojtaba Khamenei Called For Massive Public Turnout For Quds Day
A day earlier, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in his first message vowed revenge for those killed in the ongoing Israel-US attacks that started on February 28. He called for a massive, "enemy-crushing" public turnout for Quds Day rallies and framed the day as a critical symbol of national unity and resistance against Israel and the United States.
"I remind you of the importance of attending the Quds Day rallies, where the spirit of wanting to crush the enemy must be everyone's focus", Khamenei said.
"Public presence on the streets, especially during the Quds Day ceremonies, must be strong and prominent", he added.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday, "Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today". He added, "Iran's Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth."
"They've been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them," Trump said. "What a great honor it is to do so!"
Quds Day is an annual pro-Palestinian event held on the last Friday of Ramadan. Established in 1979 by Iran's first Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, it is intended to express solidarity with Palestinians and oppose Israel and Zionism.
