Iranians hold mass rallies to mark Quds Day amid U.S.-Israeli attacks

People across Iran took to the streets on Friday to mark International Quds Day, an annual event expressing support for Palestinians and condemnation of Israeli actions.

Several high-ranking Iranian officials also took part in the rallies in Tehran, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani, Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei as well as cabinet ministers, such as Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi.

The event, established by Iran in 1979, is observed on the final Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan. This year, it fell on March 13 and amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran.

In the capital, people marched from 10 different locations towards the iconic Enghelab Square in central Tehran, while waving Iran's flags and holding pictures of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei.

The marchers condemned the "crimes" committed by the United States and Israel, voiced their support for the Iranian armed forces, and pledged allegiance to the new supreme leader.

According to the official news agency IRNA, Tehran's central areas near the rally path came under U.S. and Israeli airstrikes in the early minutes of the gathering, killing at least one person. Addressing reporters after the strikes, Larijani said the attacks are "out of fear and desperation."

Araghchi said despite the attacks today, millions of people have taken part in the rallies across Iran, which shows "the Iranians' firm determination and will in supporting" the country.

On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East.

Iran's Assembly of Experts on Sunday announced the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new supreme leader.

Iranians hold mass rallies to mark Quds Day amid U.S.-Israeli attacks

The Taiwan question concerns China's core interests and constitutes the biggest risk in China-U.S. relations, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday when speaking to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the phone.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that the U.S. side should honor its commitments and make the right choices, opening new space for China-U.S. cooperation and doing its part to promote world peace.

Head-of-state diplomacy has always been the "anchor" of China-U.S. relations, Wang said.

Noting that bilateral ties have generally remained stable under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, Wang said it serves the fundamental interests of both peoples and meets the common expectations of the international community.

Both sides should safeguard the hard-won stability, prepare well for key high-level interaction agendas, expand areas of cooperation, manage differences, explore building a China-U.S. relationship that is strategic, constructive and stable, and achieve mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

For his part, Rubio said that the U.S.-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, and head-of-state diplomacy is at the core of the relationship.

Both sides should maintain communication and coordination, respect each other, properly handle differences, accumulate achievements for high-level interactions between the United States and China, and seek strategic stability in U.S.-China relations, said Rubio.

The two sides also exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East, among others.

Taiwan question constitutes biggest risk in China-US relations: Chinese FM