[IranAlert] Islamic Republic Marks "Quds Day" With Holocaust Denial and Saber Rattling

This is the NUFDI IranAlert—concise, timely analysis offering unique insights into breaking news and major developments inside Iran. Each short brief provides a fresh angle, highlighting trends, reactions, and overlooked internal dynamics shaping Iran and the Islamic Republic.

State-organized rallies took place in Iran on March 28 to mark Quds Day (“Jerusalem Day”), an annual protest against Israel held on the last Friday of Ramadan. Quds Day was introduced in 1979 by the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

At one rally, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) called on the country and its regional allies to prepare for a “major operation.” IRGC deputy coordinator Mohammad Reza Naqdi said , “The U.S. and the Zionist regime are at their weakest point in history. We must finish them off. We must bring the mission we started 46 years ago to a proud conclusion — and that moment is near… Everyone must be ready for the big operation.”

Antisemitism and Holocaust denial always take center stage during these rallies. Like every other year, regime supporters burned Israel and U.S. flags and chanted slogans against the Jewish state.

Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda, a close ally of the supreme leader, delivered a speech on the occasion and said , “All the stories about Holocaust are lies.” He later contradicted himself in the same speech, adding, “The Brits created the ideology of Holocaust to compensate the Jews for the suffering they had endured during this debacle (the Second World War).”

The rallies were attended by the regime’s top brass, including heads of the three branches of power and all senior commanders of the IRGC.

Mojtaba Khamenei, seen as a potential heir apparent to his father, was the only of Khamenei’s sons not observed participating in the events.

As is customary with such events in Iran, it included plenty of saber rattling. Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib said : “We will respond to every threat with threats.”

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said , “Negotiating to concede to the demands of the enemy will only be a precursor to war.” He added , “If Americans attack Iran’s sovereignty, it will be like a spark in a powder keg, igniting the entire region. Their bases and allies will not be safe either. The official stance clearly means that any military action against Iran will lead to a full-scale war.”

On March 27, Khamenei’s office released a recorded video message in which the Ayatollah called on people to participate in the rally. On the same day, Iranian armed forces conducted a naval drill in the Persian Gulf, the Makran coast, and the Caspian Sea using “3,000 vessels” including speedboats. During the drill, the armed forces set an Israel flag on fire in the sea.

Similar rallies were held in other countries, including one in London. Iranian state media promoted the gathering, yet it is not clear if the rally was organized or sponsored by the Islamic Republic