The explosion rocked Tehran amid a state-sponsored rally after an Israeli warning

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A large explosion rocked the central square of Iran’s capital, where thousands gathered Friday for an annual state-sponsored rally to support the Palestinians and call for Israel’s death. Israel had warned that it would target the area in central Tehran.

No casualties were reported. But the decision to go ahead with a mass demonstration attended by some senior government officials and Israel’s threat to target the region underscored the fierce determination of both sides nearly two weeks into a war that has battered the global economy and shows no sign of letting up.

Read moreMiddle East War Live: Israel Says Troops Conduct 7,600 Strikes In Iran, 1,100 In Lebanon

Meanwhile, a US official said about 2,500 Marines and at least one amphibious assault ship led the military in a major addition to the Middle East.

Iran has continued widespread missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf states and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s traded oil passes, even as US and Israeli warplanes strike military and other targets across Iran.

The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon deepened, with nearly 800 people killed and 850,000 displaced as Israel launched waves of attacks against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, warning it would not let up.

In an interview with Fox News, US President Donald Trump said the war would end “when I feel it in my bones”.

The explosion in Tehran rocked the Ferdowsi Square area in the afternoon, where thousands had gathered for the annual Quds Day rally, in which they chanted “death to Israel” and “death to America”.

Israel had warned people to evacuate the area shortly before the blast, in a Farsi-language X account. But few Iranians could see it, because the authorities had completely shut down the Internet since the start of the war. Footage showed people chanting “God is great” as smoke rose in the area.

The Israeli military later posted a second message in Farsi, criticizing Iran’s judiciary chief, who was at the rally and blocking Iran from heeding their warning.

Gholamhossein Mohseni Ezee, a hardliner who heads Iran’s judiciary, was giving an interview on state television at the demonstration when the strike occurred. Surrounded by his bodyguards, he raised his fist and said Iran would “never withdraw under this rain and missiles”.

8,000 US troops

The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli have been ordered to the Middle East, according to the US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.

Marine expeditionary units are trained and equipped to conduct amphibious landings, but they also specialize in enhancing security at embassies, evacuating civilians, and disaster relief. While the deployment is a major increase in forces in the region, it does not necessarily indicate that a ground operation is imminent or will take place at all.

The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, as well as the Tripoli and other amphibious assault ships carrying Marines, are based in Japan and have been at sea in the Pacific Ocean for several days, according to images released by the military. Tripoli was spotted by commercial satellites sailing alone near Taiwan. That place is more than a week away from Iranian waters.

Earlier in the week, the Navy had 12 ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, and eight destroyers operating in the Arabian Sea. If the Tripoli joins the flotilla, it will be the second largest ship behind the Lincoln to operate in Iranian waters.

Although the total number of US service members stationed in the Middle East is unclear, Al-Udeid Air Base alone, the largest in the region, typically houses about 8,000 US troops.

Israel had earlier announced another wave of attacks on Iran targeting infrastructure and said its air force had hit more than 200 targets in the past 24 hours, including missile launchers, defense systems and weapons production sites.

In Washington, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said more than 15,000 enemy targets had been hit, more than 1,000 a day since the war began.

He sought to address concerns about the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, telling reporters: “We are dealing with it and there is no need to worry about it.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed Thursday to continue the offensive and seal the strait in his first public statement since succeeding his father, who was killed on the opening day of the war. Khamenei has not appeared in public since assuming leadership and issued a written statement.

Hegseth said Khamenei was “wounded and disfigured,” without providing or elaborating on the evidence. Israel suspects that Khamenei was wounded early in the war.

Read moreIran’s new supreme leader ‘likely to be disfigured’, US defense chief says

The U.S. military confirmed Friday that all six crew members of an American KC-135 refueling plane crashed in Iraq, bringing the U.S. death toll to at least 13 service members.