Thousands rally for Al-Quds Day in Iran with anti-Israel, Saudi chants

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets on Friday in an annual show of solidarity with Palestinians, marking Al-Quds Day with chants against Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.

The annual celebration, which can attract millions of people, was first launched by the Islamic republic's late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and is now also marked by Iran's allies across the Middle East.

It is traditionally held on the last Friday during Ramadan.

This year's commemoration coincides with an escalating power struggle for influence in the region between Iran and Saudi Arabia, together with its Gulf neighbours.

'Death to America, death to the House of Saud'

"Death to the House of Saud and Daesh (IS)," the demonstrators chanted. "Death to America", "Death to Israel", "Death to the UK".

Some demonstrators burnt Israeli and American flags, while others carried a coffin plastered with a picture of US President Donald Trump and the slogan: "Death to America, death to the House of Saud."

In a speech to crowds in Tehran, parliament speaker Ali Larijani called Israel the "mother of terrorism"

"The displacement of millions of Muslims by the Zionist regime is unprecedented in the history of all terrorist groups," he said.

The rally also inaugurated a large digital countdown display at Tehran Palestine Square, showing that Israel will allegedly cease to exist in 8,411 days.

The figure on the panel, of just over 23 years, is based on a speech which supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei gave nearly two years ago predicting Israel would no longer exist by 2040.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard used the occasion to showcase three surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, including the Zolfaghar, which Iran used this week to target the Islamic State group in Syria.  

Another missile on display at the Tehran rally was the Ghadr, with a range of 2,000 kilometres that can reach both Israel and US bases in the region.

Iran's ballistic missile programme has been the subject of persistent concern in Washington and the target of repeated US sanctions.

	The annual celebration can attract millions of people [Getty]

Anti-Rouhani chants

President Hassan Rouhani joined the march in Tehran, hitting out at a new sanctions bill approved by the US senate.

Videos posted on social media showed a small group of hardline protesters chanting hostile slogans at Rouhani, including "down with liar" and "down with the American cleric". 

They warned that Rouhani would face the same fate as Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, Iran's first elected president after the 1979 Islamic revolution, who was impeached by parliament less than two years later in 1981.

In one video, Rouhani's security guards rushed him into his car while others prevented demonstrators from approaching.

The rare protest against Rouhani came one month after a mob attacked his car as he visited a mine in northern Iran where 43 miners were killed in an accident.

Other videos showed First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri and outspoken MP Ali Motahari being heckled by angry protesters.

"Insulting the president on Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day is an unbefitting response by the extremists to the nation's choice," tweeted Zahra Ahmadipour, vice president for cultural heritage and tourism.

"The ugly action of a small group insulting the president cannot damage national unity... and the strong support for Mr Rouhani," wrote Massoumeh Ebtekar, the president's deputy on environmental affairs.

Last week, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei had warned those who created "polarisation" of Bani-Sadr's fate, without giving names.