Iranians rally against U.S.-Israel military actions

Crowds across Iran gathered on Friday to condemn what they describe as the U.S. and Israeli military aggression in the Middle East, with President Masoud Pezeshkian and other top officials joining a major rally in the capital Tehran to show national solidarity.

On Friday morning, despite Israel's announcement that it would launch airstrikes on several areas including downtown Tehran, large crowds still gathered on Revolution Street in central Tehran. The people waved Iranian national flags, chanted anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans, and condemned the military attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel.

Demonstrators said that the U.S. and Israel plan to force Iran into "surrender" through military strikes and the assassination of Iranian leaders. However, the Iranian people will unite with the military and the government to resist the aggression and fight to the end.

"We will never rest until we drive the U.S. out of Iran and the Middle East. We must destroy Israel and expel the U.S.. Only then can the people breathe a sigh of relief," said Parviz, a protester.

"Negotiations and such are a joke. Iran has already held two rounds of negotiations, but both times Iran was attacked in the middle of the talks. We should put talk of negotiations out of our minds and obey all instructions from the supreme leader," said Jalal, another protester.

"We must both retaliate severely and drive the U.S. military out of the region. This means the U.S. forces in the area must be eliminated," said Masoud, still another protester.

Also attending the rally in Tehran on Friday were several Iranian leaders and senior officials, including Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani and Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, besides President Pezeshkian.

Larijani said that Israel's attack on Iran was "out of fear and desperation." He also said that U.S. President Donald Trump does not realize that the more pressure is put on the Iranian people, the stronger their resolve becomes.

Araghchi said that despite the "brutal" attacks by the U.S. and Israel, millions of people across Iran still participated in the rallies, demonstrating the Iranian people's unwavering support for their country.

Iranians rally against U.S.-Israel military actions

A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday slammed Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te over his latest remarks on cross-Strait relations, accusing him of promoting secessionism and escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said in a press release that Lai's speech marking his second anniversary in office was "filled with lies and deception, hostility and confrontation."

Chen accused Lai of stubbornly adhering to a secessionist stance in pursuit of "Taiwan independence," while exaggerating the so-called threats from the mainland and intensifying confrontation across the Strait.

Lai played an old trick of advocating the secessionist agenda on one hand and, on the other, calling insincerely for dialogue and exchanges with the mainland, attempting to mislead people in Taiwan and deceive the international community, he said.

Chen said that these common tricks have been seen through by more and more Taiwanese people. Their deceptive and provocative actions will be met with firm opposition from compatriots on both sides and the international community, and are doomed to fail.

Reaffirming the mainland's position on the Taiwan question, Chen said Taiwan has never been a country, is not one now, and will never become one in the future.

He described the Taiwan question as a historical issue left over from a Chinese civil war in the 1940s.

No election result in Taiwan could alter the fact that Taiwan is part of China or sever the historical and legal bonds linking the two sides of the Strait, according to Chen.

The mainland would never allow any person or force to pursue secessionist activities under any pretext, he added.

Calling secessionists "the chief culprit" who undermines cross-Strait peace, Chen said the mainland would continue to uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, unite broadly with Taiwan compatriots, combat secessionist activities, and safeguard peace and stability across the Strait.

Central government spokesperson refutes Lai Ching-te's latest remarks, warns against secessionist moves