Ali Larijani's public appearance at Al Quds Day rally undercuts US claims of Iranian leaders hiding

TEHRAN: During the Al Quds Day rally in Tehran on Friday, several top Iranian leaders took to the streets even as bombs fell around them, in a display that directly contradicted claims made by the United States about Iran's leadership being forced into hiding.

Shortly after the rally, CNN broadcast a Pentagon briefing by Pete Hegseth, who claimed that the US-Israeli onslaught had forced Iran's leadership to cower underground, "like rats." However, the impact of those remarks was immediately undercut when the broadcaster used a picture-in-picture overlay showing visuals of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and other senior officials mingling with people on the streets of Iran's capital.

Ali Larijani stands out in the crowd

Among the crowd at the rally, one man stood out from the rest. Clad in a zipped-up black jacket, he mingled freely with participants, exchanged greetings with senior citizens, and walked around with general nonchalance. This was Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and a close confidant of Iran's former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The political and military veteran was seen as a prominent figure at the gathering, his relaxed public presence serving as a stark contrast to the Pentagon's characterisation of Iranian leaders being driven underground.

Contradiction between Pentagon claims and ground reality

The juxtaposition of Hegseth's Pentagon briefing with the live footage from Tehran's streets created a notable moment on international television. While the US official sought to project the image of a beleaguered Iranian leadership forced into hiding by military pressure, the simultaneous broadcast of senior Iranian officials walking openly among crowds in Tehran presented a starkly different picture.

The presence of Iran's most senior political and diplomatic figures — including the president and foreign minister — at a public rally during an active military campaign raised questions about the accuracy of the Pentagon's assessment of the situation on the ground.

Larijani's role as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council makes him a key figure in Iran's security and strategic decision-making apparatus. His visible and relaxed appearance at the rally, alongside other top officials, appeared designed to project confidence and normalcy in the face of the ongoing military confrontation.

The Al Quds Day rally, traditionally held to express solidarity with Palestinians, took on added significance this year given the current hostilities. The willingness of Iran's top leadership to participate publicly in the event, rather than retreating to secure locations, signalled a deliberate message to both domestic and international audiences.