TEHRAN (Iran News) –Israeli authorities have barred Palestinians in the West Bank from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan which marks the International Quds Day.

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The rallies in Iran, organized by the Islamic Propagation Coordination Council (IPCC), started at 10 a.m. local time (0630 GMT) in Tehran and other cities across the country on Friday.

People taking part in the rallies intend to communicate to the world the deplorable situation of the Palestinians and condemn Israeli atrocities which have intensified this year, especially since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.

Ten routes have been designated for the rallies throughout the Iranian capital, where people from all walks of life are heading to the iconic Enqelab (revolution) Square.

Every year on the last Friday of Ramadan, worldwide rallies are held to support the Palestinian people’s resistance against Israel and the struggle to liberate their territories, which have been occupied by Israel for decades.

The annual event is seen as an opportunity for freedom-seeking people across the world, regardless of faith, to voice their support for the Palestinian cause and vent their anger against the apartheid regime in Tel Aviv, which has occupied Palestinian territories since 1967.

The International Quds Day is among the legacies of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini, who is revered as a spiritual leader by Muslims across the world. Back in 1979, shortly after leading an Islamic Revolution which toppled the US-backed Shah of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini named the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan the Quds Day.

In Tehran and addressing the participants in the rally Majlis Speaker Mohammad BaqerQalibaf said International Quds Day revealed the criminal face of the child-killing Zionist regime in front of the people of the world.

He said that the initiative of Imam Khomeini (RA) in appointing International Quds Day has turned the issue of Palestine into a popular and global issue in the world.

International Quds Day is among the legacies of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini, who is revered as a spiritual leader by Muslims across the world.

Today, thanks to Quds Day, all Muslims can say that Al-Quds is the capital of all Palestine and Palestine is the capital of the Islamic world, he added.

Qalibaf also noted that terrorism exists in the essence of this regime.

Describing the Zionist regime as the number one enemy of the Islamic world and humanity, Ghalibaf said that this enemy sought to show Iran and the Resistance as a threat to Islamic countries.

The Zionists sought to create conflict in the Islamic world and tried to create differences between Islamic countries, and they tried to present themselves as peace seekers and Iran as a problem in the Islamic world, but the Leader of the Islamic Revolution thwarted such a plot in a wise manner, he said.

In order to counter this conspiracy, the Leader put brotherhood between Shiites and Sunnis on agenda and made efforts to bring the Islamic world closer together, Qalibaf added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he hailed the achievements of the Palestinian Resistance Front against the occupation regime and said today, Resistance, is not only passive but prepared to counter Zionists.

Referring to movements of Takfiri and ISIL terrorists sponsored by the US and Zionist regime in the region, Qalibaf said that the Resistance Front and Martyr Soleimani did not allow such enemies an opportunity to harm the Islamic world.

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Quds Day, officially known as International Quds Day is an annual pro-Palestinian event held on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan to express support for Palestinians and oppose Israel and Zionism and it was initiated by the Late Imam Ruhollah Khomeini, the Founder of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, on August 7, 1979.

Since then the Islamic Republic of Iran has been the flag-bearer of commemorating the day by holding rallies in support of Palestinians and Quds and gradually other Muslim nations and even justice and freedom seekers worldwide have joined the camp in support of Palestinians and liberation of the occupied lands and Al-Aqsa Mosque from the claws of Israelis.

But this year the Quds Day was held while the world equation has changed in favor of Palestine and it seems the rallies are working and people worldwide are getting aware of the atrocities of the Zionists against the Palestinians and liberation of the occupied land is gradually coming true in case Muslims in the world remain united.

Iranians as previous years  held massive rallies to show that they have not forgotten the principles of the Islamic Revolution and support of Palestine against the Zionists despite negative propagation of the enemies.

This year’s rallies come amid simmering tensions in the occupied Palestinian territories and attacks on worshippers in the al-Aqsa Mosque. However, demonstrators in Tehran said Israel is on the verge of destruction as it is facing growing resistance from Palestinians.

Demonstrators in Tehran also demanded the liberation of Palestine and called on countries across the world to boycott the Israeli regime.

Iranians once again showed their unwavering support for the Palestinian cause. By taking to the streets every year, they let Palestinians know that they are not alone in their fight against the occupiers of their lands.

Every year when Quds Day is approaching, the Zionist forces get headache and step up security measures against the Palestinians but Palestinian people give no heed to bullets and force of the Zionists and hold the rallies and even gather at Al-Aqsa Mosque to show the Zionists they are determined to take back the occupied lands from the claws of the Zionists and it will happen sooner or later but it is just a matter of time.

Israel is currently facing collapse from both inside and outside and it will make easier the task of the Palestinians to take back their lands but Palestinians need more support from Muslims worldwide especially from Arab and Muslim governments otherwise the Zionist regime is emboldened to commit more crimes through normalization of ties with Arab states.

Israel is getting more isolated in the world and Arab governments should not help this regime to survive and normalization of ties with this blood-sucking regime will be a serious threat even for the future of their own governments.

Quds Day is a launch-pad for awakening of Muslims and justice seeking people in the world and especially for the Muslim countries for support of Palestine and it seems marking this day is working and more people in the world are now joining the anti-Israel camp, and the struggle for freedom of Palestine and Quds is getting momentum and the full collapse of Israel is imminent as today we see that the Zionists cannot easily attack the Palestinians and they get due responses from the Palestinians and the Resistance Forces.

The Islamic Republic of Iran under the leadership of Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has always reiterated its full support for liberation of Palestine and Quds and this has been one of the pillars  of the Islamic Revolution doctrine and Ayatollah Khamenei has reiterated that Israel will collapse in less than 25 years and the Islamic Republic of Iran will do its best in all fields to accelerate this collapse and destruction, and the countdown has started and it is just a matter of time but Muslims are sure that they will soon say their prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, their first qibla, after liberation of the mosque and the lands. Inshallah.

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The Leader made the remarks in a live televised speech on Friday on the occasion of the International Quds Day.

Ayatollah Khamenei also lauded the Iranian nation for gloriously marking the day.

He said the usurping Zionist regime is wallowing in a convoluted network of problems in both political and military arenas, adding, “Holy Quds is the heart of Palestine, and the entire occupied country of Palestine, from the river to the sea, is a continuation of Quds. Every day, the Palestinian nation shows that it has stood up and will stand up against the oppressor with exemplary courage. The Palestinian youth have acted as a defensive shield for Palestine with their self-sacrificing activities, and they are harbingers of a different future.”

The Leader went on to say, “We are carrying out this year’s Quds Day while everything is signaling a new equation in Palestine’s present and future. Today, an “invincible willpower” in Palestine and throughout West Asia has replaced the “invincible army” of the Zionists. Today, that criminal army has been forced to turn its aggressive formation into a defensive one. In the political arena today, the most important supporter of that usurping regime, the United States of America, has suffered consecutive defeats. It has been defeated in the war in Afghanistan, defeated in its maximum pressure policy against the Islamic Republic of Iran, defeated in the face of Asian powers, defeated in trying to control the economy of the world, and defeated in the internal management of its own country and managing the phenomenon of the deep rift that has come about in the U.S. establishment.”

Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized, “Polls show that almost 70% of the Palestinians in the 1948 and 1967 lands and the surrounding camps encouraged the Palestinian leaders to attack the Zionist regime. This is an important phenomenon because it signifies the complete preparedness of the Palestinians to confront the usurping regime, and it provides the mujahid organizations with the freedom to take action whenever they deem necessary.”

He stated, “Even though the Zionist regime is out of breath, it continues to commit crimes and kill innocent people with its weapons. It murders unarmed women, children, the elderly, and the youth. It imprisons and tortures them, destroys houses, and demolishes farms and property. The liars in Europe and the US who make extravagant claims about human rights and who created a commotion on the issue of Ukraine keep silent in the face of all these crimes in Palestine. They do not defend the innocent people, but they also help that bloodthirsty wolf.”

This is an important lesson. Regarding the issues of the world of Islam–at the top of which stands the issue of Palestine–we cannot and must not rely on these racist, hostile powers. Only with the power that comes from resistance, which originates in the teachings of the Qur’an and which arises from the religious rulings of dear Islam, can one resolve the issues of the world of Islam and the issue of Palestine, which stands at the top of all Islamic issues, he added.

“The formation of the Resistance in West Asia has been the most blessed phenomenon in this region in recent decades. The magnificence of the Resistance was able to cleanse the occupied territories of Lebanon of the pollution of the Zionists, pull Iraq out from the clutches of the U.S., save Iraq from the maliciousness of the Daesh and assist Syrian defenders in the face of the U.S. schemes. The Resistance fights against international terrorism, helps the resistant people of Yemen in the war that has been imposed on them, wrestles with the Zionist usurpers in Palestine, and will bring them to their knees with God’s grace. It also highlights the issue of Quds and Palestine more and more for the people of the world to see daily”, the Leader added.

The Islamic Republic of Iran advocates and supports the camp of Resistance. It advocates and supports the Palestinian Resistance. We have always said this, we have always acted on this, and we have stood by it. We condemn the risky move to normalize relations [with the Zionist regime]. We denounce the policy of a normalization of relations. Some Arab governments have asked the US to accelerate the matter of solving the Palestinian issue. If they mean that before the U.S. leaves the region, it should remove any obstacle standing in the way of the Zionist regime, they have behaved treacherously and have brought disgrace to the Arab world. Secondly, they have been naïve since this is a case of the blind leading the blind,” Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized.

Meanwhile millions of people took to the streets for Quds Day rallies around the world to show solidarity with the Palestinians and condemn Israeli atrocities against them.

In Iran, demonstrations started in Tehran and some 900 others cities and towns across the country.

People taking part in the rallies seek to communicate to the world the deplorable conditions inflicted by Israel upon the Palestinians and press the Israeli regime to respect their rights.

They also used the opportunity to highlight Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestine and the regime’s atrocities against the Palestinians.

At the end of the rallies, a statement was issued that described the liberation of the holy city of Quds, freedom of the oppressed and defenseless Palestinian nation from the clutches of the occupying Zionist regime, and annihilation of the Israel regime as the lofty ideals of the Muslim world.

It denounced concessions and normalization of diplomatic relations with the usurping Tel Aviv regime as an act of unforgivable treason and a fiendish plot aimed at weakening the anti-Israel resistance front and liquidation of the Palestinian cause.

It also referred to the International Quds Day and support of Palestinians as the guarantor of Iran’s national security and the key to the unity of the Muslim Ummah against the conspiracies of colonial and arrogant powers.

The statement went on to stress the need for beefing up the anti-Israel resistance front, calling on regional and international organizations to adopt decisive and practical positions, back the sole solution to the Palestinian issue, which is based on the return of Palestinian refugees and a comprehensive and free referendum, and oppose any alternative, oppressive and sham initiative in its place.

It noted that the successive defeats of the United States, the Israeli regime, and Saudi Arabia in the strategic West Asia region have dispelled the invincibility myth of the Israeli army and the regime’s security apparatus and indicated that colonialism and Zionism are in decline in the region.

The statement also decried the deadly silence of the international community and human rights organizations vis-à-vis the racist practices, genocide, and inhumane crimes of the bogus Israeli regime.

It highlighted that the Tel Aviv regime has perpetrated evil crimes against various nations, especially Palestinians, and has been involved in criminal acts against the Iranian people and the assassination of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear scientists.

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Muslims on last Friday of the holy month of Ramadhan stage protest rallies worldwide to support Palestinians and condemning the occupier regime of Israel. This day was initiated by the Islamic Republic of Iran and by its founder the late Imam Khomeini in 1979 to express support for the Palestinians and oppose Zionism and Israel.

The late Imam Khomeini declared the “liberation” of Quds and Occupied Lands a religious duty to all Muslims and called Muslims to stage protest rallies and stated: “I invite Muslims all over the globe to consecrate the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as Al-Quds Day and to proclaim the international solidarity of Muslims in support of the legitimate rights of the Muslim people of Palestine. For many years, I have been notifying the Muslims of the danger posed by the usurper Israel which today has intensified its savage attacks against the Palestinian brothers and sisters, and which, in the south of Lebanon in particular, is continually bombing Palestinian homes in the hope of crushing the Palestinian struggle. I ask all the Muslims of the world and the Muslim governments to join together to sever the hand of this usurper and its supporters. I call on all the Muslims of the world to select as Al-Quds Day the last Friday in the holy month of Ramadan—which is itself a determining period and can also be the determiner of the Palestinian people’s fate—and through a ceremony demonstrating the solidarity of Muslims world-wide, announce their support for the legitimate rights of the Muslim people. I ask God Almighty for the victory of the Muslims over the infidels.”

Since then, the Islamic Republic of Iran has become the flag-bearer of this protest rallies in the world and every year the number of protesting nations increases and it has really turned into a nightmare for Israel.

Of course on this day which is the last Friday of Ramadhan, Israeli regime is mobilized to counter Palestinians in the occupied lands and every year this fear of Palestinians’ uprising for liberation of the occupied lands is on the rise and Israelis have to resort to iron fist and bloodshed.

This year Muslims are on the verge of marking the day while the Palestinians have started a new round of intifadha and the Zionist regime has started committing crimes by killing Palestinian protestors. The slogan of the Quds Day is “Down to Israel” which is chanted worldwide in different forms.

On the eve of this important international event, Muslim leaders, officials, and personalities from across the regional resistance axis and beyond take to the “al-Quds Podium” to denounce the Israeli regime over its sheer escalation of violence against Palestinians in the holy occupied city of al-Quds.

Although it is expected the day to be marked in the Muslim states, thousands of people take to the streets throughout many Western countries in support of the Palestinian cause of liberation from Israeli occupation and aggression.

This day tries to unite Muslims symbolically against the Zionists but they need a practical determination to fight the Zionists for the liberation of the occupied lands.

The Islamic Republic of Iran since its first day of establishment has supported Palestine and called for the liberation of the occupied lands and it has turned as the doctrine and policy of the country.

It seems this year protest rallies in Iran and in the world to be a strong blow to the Zionists in support of Palestinians and in recent days one can see the anger in the face of the Zionists in dealing with the new surge of intifadha in the occupied lands and they fear this struggle to be supported worldwide and to isolate the Zionist regime more than ever.

As the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has repeated, the countdown for the collapse of this fake Zionist regime has begun and this regime is living through artificial respiration and any moment its respiration may be stopped by the brave Palestinians. God willing.

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IRAN NNEWS ECONOMIC DESK

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani has said that the country will hold Eid al-Fitr and Quds Day events in compliance with protocols set to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.

Speaking on Saturday, Rouhani said that Eid al-Fitr prayers, which mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, will be held in religious centers across the country.

He added, however, that the prayers will only be held in local religious centers as opposed to major prayer grounds where worshippers usually convene in each city to mark the event.

Rouhani, who made the comments addressing the National Headquarters against the Coronavirus, said that Quds Day will also be commemorated in “white” regions where the coronavirus is not deemed a threat.

He added that Quds Day will take place without its usual annual rallies and will instead be held within the perimeters of Friday prayers, which coincide with Quds Day.

Rouhani exempted the capital Tehran from the measure, where the Quds Day event will be organized in the form of a car protest.

“It will be a symbolic measure using vehicles and it will be organized by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC),” he said.

Pro-Palestine activists in Iran and elsewhere are making plans to replace street rallies with online events to mark the International Quds Day.

As a legacy of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini, Quds Day has been designated on the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan to mark worldwide Muslim solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

International Quds day has become a global movement against colonialism and arrogant powers and really an unjust global system.

The event was commemorated every year with major rallies across Iran and beyond.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani said that Iranians have to recognize that the country’s “difficult days” have yet to go by and that the country is still facing a “dangerous virus”.

He added that the country has to prepare itself for “a few months of life with the coronavirus”.

“However, our situation is better than before,” the president added.

“During this time, people and health workers have become much more adept,” in countering the coronavirus, he said.

“During the initial days of the outbreak, we didn’t know if our N95 masks were enough or whether we could make our own…we didn’t know if we had enough ventilators or if we could produce our own,” he said.

“Today, we have gone past that,” he added.

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Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, head of the Intifada (Uprising) and Quds Center at Iran’s Islamic Propagation Coordination Council, General Ramezan Sharif, said this year’s Quds Day rallies won’t be held since the situation is not normal in the wake of the outbreak of COVID-19.

As many religious sites have been closed and religious ceremonies have been shelved, the Quds Day rallies will not be held this year, he said, adding that a series of other programs will substitute the rallies.

The general also noted that Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei is going to deliver a speech on the International Quds Day (May 22), and that the organizers of the event will also take advantage of the media and receive messages from anti-Israeli resistance officials.

He said Ismail Haniyeh, the chief of the political bureau of Islamic resistance movement Hamas, or another major figure of resistance will possibly take part in the Quds Day commemorations in Tehran as a guest.

The International Quds Day is an annual event during which demonstrators express their solidarity with the Palestinian people and opposition to the occupation of the Palestinian territories by the Zionist regime of Israel.

The day is seen as the legacy of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini, who officially declared the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as International Quds Day back in 1979.

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IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

Muslim people in other countries in the world also mark the day by holding massive rallies and demonstrations, condemning Israel’s violation of the Palestinian nation’s rights.

Meanwhile President Hassan Rouhani voiced his support to the oppressed people of Palestine while taking part at massive rallies held in Tehran to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the International Quds Day.

President Rouhani joined public rallies held in Tehran on the last Friday of Ramadan month and accompanied the people of Tehran in displaying support for the oppressed people of Palestine to the world.

Speaking to reporters at the rallies in downtown Tehran, President Rouhani referred to the latest US proposed plan on Israel-Palestine conflict, known as the so-called ‘Deal of the Century’, saying that the plan will undoubtedly fail and will yield no results.

The Iranian president added that final victory will be for the Palestinians and Palestine will become the homeland of all the Palestinians including the Muslims, Jews and the Christian Palestinians to coexist peacefully.

Majlis Speaker  Ali Larijani also said that the proposed ‘Deal of the Century’ has roots in the American utilitarianism philosophy, which disregards justice, dignity, and humanist aspects of the Palestinian issue in favor of economic gains.

Larijani made the remarks before the Friday Prayers sermon in Tehran began yesterday, which was the last Friday of holy month of Ramadan marking the 40th anniversary of International Quds Day. The day has been commemorated with huge rallies across Iran and the globe.

“Americans believe in utilitarianism according to which justice, honor, and humanity count as long as they have benefits,” Larijani said.

The parliament speaker also said that for the American statesmen, international obligations do not count much and they violate their international commitments when they do not see any benefits in abiding by them.

He referred to the US withdrawal from several international agreements such as the Paris climate change agreement, the nuclear deal with Iran and the missile treaty with Russia as some irrational decisions made by the American authorities based on their belief in utilitarianism.

He further noted that proposing the ‘Deal of the Century’ has roots in U.S. utilitarianism philosophy. Meanwhile, he stressed that their plan for Palestine shows the depth of their unlimited hatred towards the Muslims.

Larijani further quoted the Iranian Leader Ayatollah Khamenei as saying that US utilitarianism is in decline as it creates ‘international anomalies.’ He added the creation of the ISIL terrorist group had roots in the US utilitarianism with the aim of destroying the Islamic nations.

The speaker further called on the Islamic countries to come together and build a stronger strategy against the U.S. strategy for the region.

He also lambasted some Arab countries particularly Saudi Arabia’s cooperation with Americans’ plots and their huge purchase of the U.S. arms.

He went on to note the U.S. officials’ talk of readiness for negotiations with Iran, quoting the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks that Americans cannot be trusted and ruled out any possibility of negotiations on defensive power.

At the end, Larijani said that Iran needs to get stronger and its resistance against the US pressures should continue as the only solution.

Marchers at the end of International Quds Day rallies in Iran issued a final statement condemning the upcoming Bahraini-hosted meeting to discuss U.S. and Israeli peace plan for Palestine or the so-called ‘Deal of the Century’.

A statement was read out in Tehran at the end of the nationwide rallies condemning the U.S. administration’s new conspiracy in the form of the so-called ‘Deal of the Century’.

The marchers in their statement also strongly condemned the attempts by some Arab rulers to normalize relations with ‘’fake occupying regime of Israel’ and the upcoming Manama meeting to discuss the economic aspects of the ‘Deal of the Century’.

The final declaration also considered the continuation of Intifada and resistance against the ‘global disbelievers front’ led by the United States as the only solution to the Palestinian issue and rejected any compromise with the ‘cancerous Israel.’

It further called for the realization of ‘Palestine for all Palestinian people’ and stressed that the future Palestine must include the entire Palestinian lands between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

At the end, the statement called for ‘maintaining national unity’ and realizing the slogan of this Iranian year set by the Leader of the Islamic Republic as ‘Boosting Domestic Production.’

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