Iran leaders join crowds on Tehran’s streets in show of defiance

DUBAI  — After more than a month of being stalked by targeted assassinations, Iran’s leadership has adopted a new tactic to show it is still in control, with senior officials walking openly in the streets among small crowds who have gathered in support of the Islamic Republic.

In recent days, Iran’s president and foreign minister have separately mixed with groups of several hundred people in central Tehran. On Tuesday, state television aired footage of the two posing for selfies, talking to members of the public and shaking hands with supporters who had gathered in public areas.

According to insiders and analysts, the appearances are part of a calculated effort by Iran’s theocratic leadership to project resilience and authority — not only over the vital Strait of Hormuz but also over the population — despite a sustained US-Israeli campaign aimed at “obliterating” the regime.

One insider close to the hardline establishment said such public outings are intended to show that the Islamic Republic is “unshaken by strikes and that it remains in control and vigilant” as the conflict grinds on.

The US-Israeli war on the Iranian regime began on February 28 with waves of strikes and the killing of veteran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior military commanders. Strikes have since continued to target top officials.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen in public since taking over on March 8 from his father. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meanwhile, was removed from Israel’s hit list amid mediation efforts last month, including by Pakistan, to bring Tehran and Washington together for talks to end the war.

Talks aimed at ending the war have since appeared to have petered out, and against that backdrop, recent public appearances by President Masoud Pezeshkian and Araghchi appear designed to project defiance, if not a convincing display of public support.

A senior Iranian source said officials’ public presence demonstrates that “the establishment is not intimidated by Israel’s targeted killing of top Iranian figures.”

Asked whether Iran’s foreign minister or president were on any sort of kill list, IDF spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said on Friday he would not “speak about specific personnel.”

Music and barbecues in Tehran despite US threats

Despite widespread destruction, Tehran appears emboldened by surviving weeks of intense US-Israeli attacks, firing on Israel and Gulf countries hosting US troops, and demonstrating its ability to effectively block the Strait of Hormuz.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump vowed more aggressive strikes on Iran, without offering a timeline for ending hostilities. Tehran responded by warning the United States and Israel that “more crushing, broader and more destructive” attacks were in store.

In a leafy Tehran park on Thursday, Iranians gathered for picnics on the final day of the Persian new year holidays, shrugging off Trump’s threats to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages” as powerful blasts shook the capital.

Still, hundreds of families sat out under mild, cloudy skies, picnicking amid sweeping views of the snow-capped Alborz mountains — a postcard scene at odds with a city under regular attack.

Thursday marked the 13th and final day of the Persian New Year festivities, known as Sizdah‑bedar or Nature Day.

Tradition calls for spending the day outdoors to ward off bad luck.

“We must keep this ritual alive under all circumstances, even in the current situation and despite the distress we feel,” Roya Abhari, 39, told AFP.

“I saw President Trump’s message, and wondered: will Iran really go back to the Stone Age in two or three weeks?”

She had come to the park alone to “be around people, recharge and feel better.”

Nearby, a man fanned skewers sizzling on a barbecue grill while a couple played badminton and retirees sang cheerfully on a park bench.

“[War] doesn’t disrupt anything at all for us. We are living a normal life… We are not afraid of war,” said metalworker Hakim Rahimi, 43.

But the joyful scenes were far from the reality of the war, with blasts rocking neighborhoods and families mourning the dead elsewhere in the city.

That morning, strikes heavily damaged a century-old medical centre in the capital.

Tehran’s many parks, usually green lungs in a metropolis often choked by pollution, have become refuges since the fighting began.

Joggers, cyclists and casual strollers still flock to them daily, despite the risk of bombardment.

But Iran’s threat on Thursday of “crushing” retaliation if US strikes intensify renewed fears of escalation in a conflict rippling across the region and global markets.

“I hope God gives our soldiers strength every day,” said housewife Parastou Safiani.

Encouraged by clerical rulers, supporters of the Islamic Republic take to the streets each night, filling public squares to show loyalty even amid the strikes.

Analysts say the establishment is also seeking to raise the “political and reputational” cost of the strikes at a time when civilian casualties are deeply disturbing for Iranians.

Omid Memarian, a senior Iran analyst at DAWN, a Washington-based think tank, said the decision to send officials into gatherings reflects a layered strategy, including an effort to sustain the morale of core supporters at a moment of acute pressure.

“The system relies heavily on this base; if its supporters withdraw from public space, its ability to project control and authority weakens significantly,” Memarian said.

Speaking to state television, some in the crowds voice unwavering loyalty to Iran’s leadership; others oppose the bombing of their country regardless of politics; and some have a stake in the system, including government employees, students and others whose livelihoods are tied to it.

Hadi Ghaemi, head of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, said the establishment is using such loyal crowds as human shields to raise the cost of any assassination attempts.

“By being in the middle of large crowds, they have protections that would make Israeli-American attacks against them very bloody and generate sympathy worldwide,” he said.