Watch | Possible assassination attempt? missile hit building near location of Iran's judiciary chief during Quds Day rally in Tehran

A possible high-profile assassination attempt or warning strike captured on camera nearly disrupted Iran’s Quds Day commemorations on Friday (Mar 13), as a missile struck a building just metres away from where Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei was marching. The incident occurred during the annual Jerusalem Day demonstrations, which this year have been transformed into a massive show of defiance amid the ongoing Operation Epic Fury.

The strike hit an administrative building near Ferdowsi Square, a central hub for the rally, located near Tehran University.

Video published by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iran's official news agency, captured the immediate aftermath, showing a thick plume of grey smoke rising over the city centre as thousands of marchers continued their chants of "Death to America" and “Death to Israel.”

Judiciary Chief Mohseni-Ejei, a key member of the three-person leadership council currently governing Iran, was reportedly in the immediate area at the time of the explosion. Other senior officials, including President Masoud Pezhakian and Police Chief Ahmad-Reza Radan, were also participating in the Tehran marches.

Despite the blast, the rally continued. Radan addressed the crowd shortly after, stating, "The people responded to the sound of the explosion with shouts of 'Allahu Akbar.' Before the eyes of the frustrated enemy, the nation will not leave the site."

This strike marks a significant escalation in the US-Israeli campaign, as it targeted the heart of a mass civilian and political gathering.

Earlier in the day, other explosions were reported across central Tehran. The Judiciary Chief had recently issued a stern warning that anyone seen supporting the foreign airstrikes would face "revolutionary, Islamic principles", a thinly veiled reference to the death penalty for treason during wartime.

(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)