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Iran’s national security chief Ali Larijani claimed that Israel was showing “desperation and fear” by striking a location near the Al Quds Day march in Tehran.
Iran’s national security chief Ali Larijani. (File)
As the US-Israeli war against Iran entered its 14th day, the regime’s national security chief Ali Larijani on Thursday remarked that US President Donald Trump “did not understand” Tehran’s resolve and that Israel was “running out of options.”
Speaking to the Fars News Agency, Larijani, a top aide of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said, “Trump’s problem is that he doesn’t understand that the Iranian nation is strong, determined, and resilient. The more pressure the United States applies, the stronger the people’s resolve becomes.”
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He also said that a strike on a location near the massive Al Quds Day march in Tehran was a sign of “desperation and fear” from Israel. “Someone who is truly strong would not bomb the middle of a march. It’s clear they have run out of options,” he said.
Iranian state media reported that a large explosion rocked a Tehran square filled with thousands of people taking part in annual rallies in solidarity with Palestinians. The blast came shortly after Israel had threatened people to clear the area because it planned a strike.
One woman was reported killed by shrapnel from the US-Israeli strike, according to the state media outlet Press TV. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian was seen at the rally in Tehran, as well as Larijani.
Demonstrators on Friday chanted “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” while carrying Iranian flags and images of Palestinian fighters, according to Al Jazeera. Pezeshkian had called on the population to participate despite the war.
US Intensifying Strikes
Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary ete Hegseth has said the United States is preparing for what could be the largest round of strikes on Iran so far, adding that the timing and pace of the military campaign will ultimately be determined Trump.
ALSO READ: Pete Hegseth’s Big Warning To Iran Comes With ‘Don’t Worry’ Dismissal Of Hormuz Disruptions
“Today will be the highest volume of US strikes on Iran yet,” he said, adding that Trump “holds the cards” and will decide the scope, tempo and timing of the operation. The statements indicate that Washington may be preparing for a significant expansion of its air campaign, which has caused a severe disruption in global energy supplies as the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked.
Hegseth said Iran’s military capabilities had been significantly weakened by joint US-Israeli strikes. “Between our Air Force and that of the Israelis, over 15,000 enemy targets have been struck,” Hegseth said.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned it could set the region’s oil and gas infrastructure “on fire” if Iranian energy sites are attacked. A statement attributed to new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei also called for the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a “tool of pressure” amid major disruption in global oil markets.
March 13, 2026, 7:34 PM IST
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