By: Mohammad Abbas (Editor-in-Chief, TWU) | March 14, 2026 | source the new york times
TEHRAN — In a show of extraordinary defiance, thousands of Iranian flooded the streets of central Tehran on Friday for a massive anti-Israel rally, even as US and Israeli warplanes conducted a heavy wave of airstrikes across the capital
STRIKES DURING RALLY: Just as top Iranian leaders, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and National Security Chief Ali Larijani, joined the crowds at Ferdowsi Square, a large explosion rocked the area. Plumes of grey smoke were seen rising behind the demonstrators who continued to chant “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.”
LEADERSHIP IN THE CROWD: President Pezeshkian, seen mobbed by supporters, told state TV that “Iran will never withdraw under this rain of missiles.” This public appearance marks the most significant showing of the regime’s leadership since the start of the war two weeks ago
HEAVY TOLL: While no immediate casualties were reported from the Ferdowsi Square blast, rescue workers elsewhere in southern Tehran were seen searching through rubble after separate strikes. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that Friday would be the “heaviest day of bombardment” yet in a campaign that has already hit over 15,000 targets inside Iran.
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