TEHRAN, Monday, March 9, 2026 (WNP): A massive crowd described by observers as a “human tsunami” filled Enqelab Square (Revolution Square) in Tehran on Monday as thousands of Iranians gathered to pledge allegiance to the country’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, while condemning ongoing U.S. and Israeli aggression against Iran.
Participants carrying Iranian flags and portraits of the new leader packed the central square, chanting slogans and waving banners in support of the Islamic Republic and its leadership. The rally came just hours after the Assembly of Experts formally elected Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s third Supreme Leader following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the recent escalation of the regional conflict.
Witnesses described the gathering as one of the largest public mobilizations in Tehran since the outbreak of the current conflict. Demonstrators chanted slogans condemning the United States and Israel while expressing loyalty to the new leadership and calling for national unity.
Similar rallies were also reported in other Iranian cities including Shiraz, Tabriz, Ahvaz and Kerman, where crowds assembled in public squares to reaffirm their support for the Islamic Republic and its new leader.
The demonstrations come amid an intensifying war between Iran and Israel that has expanded across the region following joint U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iranian targets and Tehran’s retaliatory missile and drone attacks. The conflict has already disrupted global energy markets and heightened geopolitical tensions throughout the Middle East.
Iranian political leaders and military institutions, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, have publicly pledged allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei, signaling a rapid consolidation of power around the new leadership.
Officials described the mass gatherings as a show of national solidarity at a critical moment, while analysts say the demonstrations underscore the Iranian leadership’s effort to project unity and resilience as the country faces one of the most dangerous regional confrontations in decades.
