In years past, the Iranian regime used to hold marches and events linked to what it called Quds Day.
For instance, in 2025, the recently deceased Ayatollah Khamenei put out a statement about the Quds Day rallies that were expected on the last Friday of Ramadan in Iran. Iran also supported these rallies around the world.
In 2026, it is unclear if the events will go forward as planned, as Iran claimed it expects to hold the rallies on March 13, known in Tehran as the largest annual mobilization supporting the Palestinian cause.
Amid the war, Iran’s attempt to use the Palestinian cause as a rallying cry may be curtailed.
In the UK, the government has banned marches that were expected to take place on Sunday in London. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that the rallies were banned at the request of the Metropolitan police.
The BBC quoted her as saying she was “satisfied doing so is necessary to prevent serious public disorder, due to the scale of the protest and multiple counterprotests, in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East”.
The news outlet noted that “on Sunday, thousands of demonstrators were expected to march through London for al-Quds Day, an annual demonstration in support of Palestinian rights. But the march, which has taken place in the UK for more than 40 years, has been banned by Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood.”
Iranian-backed Quds Day events may take place elsewhere in 2026
The day is named for Al-Quds, the Arabic name for Jerusalem.
The Islamic revolutionaries in Iran adopted the Palestinian cause when they came to power, first holding Quds Day events in 1979. This was a way that the Shi’ite regime in Tehran could adopt a cause popular with Muslims and others around the world.
The idea was to use the event as an inroad for Iranian Islamic soft power, this way penetrating other societies, including the Arab world and also Europe.
Iran has long sought to advance its interests via various layers of soft and hard power. For instance, it will fund and arm militias in Iraq or fund and arm Hezbollah. It will also work with groups such as Hamas.
In addition, Iran sought over the years to exploit the freedoms of western democracies to operate. Many Iranian politicians were even educated in the West, primarily in the United States.
The war on Iran by the US and Israel was launched on February 28, during Ramadan.
The Quds Day rallies are expected to take place before one of the important nights of Ramadan, known as Laylat al-Qadr, which is expected to happen around the 17th of March, based on a moon sighting expected that evening. This important night for Muslims may fall slightly earlier, but likely not on Quds Day.
As such, Quds Day forms one of the important days before the end of Ramadan. For the Iranian regime, this is a poignant time because the war resulted in the death of the Supreme Leader and the appointment of a new one.
The new leader has to hide because of threats of more airstrikes, which makes it more difficult for the regime to assemble rallies with officials.
How Iran mobilizes people abroad will be interesting to watch, because Iranian-backed Hezbollah is also in the midst of a war. In Iraq, the Iranian-backed militias have been carrying out attacks as well.
Iran may use the day to carry out attacks, including attacks targeting Israel. Iran will want to show that it is not down for the count and that it can still lash out.