Iranians Reaffirm Support for Palestine
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Participants in nationwide rallies held in Iran to mark the International Quds Day, described Palestine as the Islamic world's overriding priority and condemned the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people.
Iranians on Friday morning staged mass rallies in capital Tehran and 770 other cities to mark the International Quds Day, which falls on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
In a statement issued at the conclusion of the rallies, the Iranian marchers called for the liberation of the holy city of al-Quds from Israeli occupation and an end to the Tel Aviv regime's crimes against the people of Palestine.
They also stressed that the only practical solution to the issue of Palestine would be the return of all Palestinian refugees to their homeland and holding a referendum to decide the future of the Arab country.
Demonstrators also condemned Israel's "barbaric crimes" against Palestinians and its "evil attempts for Judaizing the occupied territories and destroying the symbols of Palestine's national and historical identity".
They further called on regional and international organizations to adopt "decisive and practical stances" to impede Israel's dangerous plots.
Elsewhere in the statement, they described their massive presence in the Quds Day rallies as a sign of national unity that also indicates rapport between the nation and government over the issue of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers.
Voicing support for the country's team of negotiators engaged in nuclear talks with the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany), those taking part in the Quds day rallies called on the Iranian diplomats to observe the red lines defined by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.
They also asked the negotiating team to strongly reject the other side's excessive and arrogant demands.
This year's Quds Day coincided with the marathon talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 (also known as the P5+1 or E3+3) over Tehran's nuclear energy program.
The negotiations are underway in Austria with the aim of working out a final, comprehensive agreement that would end more than a decade of impasse over Iran's peaceful nuclear activities.