Pro-Iran protesters held a rally in the Indian-occupied Ladakh region, carrying posters of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and chanting slogans in his support, as Iran’s leadership continues efforts to contain domestic unrest.
According to The Times of India, the demonstration was organised under the banner of the Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust. Multiple processions began from different areas of Kargil, with participants carrying banners and raising pro-Iran slogans.
The processions later converged at the Old Taxi Stand in Kargil, where a large gathering took place. The event reportedly drew thousands of men and women from across the district.
During the rally, protesters chanted slogans against the United States and Israel, directly criticising US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The demonstration comes amid heightened regional tensions, as Tehran seeks to deter repeated threats by President Trump to intervene in support of anti-government protesters inside Iran.
Analysts and regional diplomats have warned that any US military intervention could backfire by suppressing protests, intensifying Iran’s security crackdown, and provoking retaliatory missile attacks on American bases in the Middle East.
Earlier this week, a US official confirmed that Washington has begun withdrawing some personnel from bases in the region after Iranian officials warned neighbouring countries of possible retaliation in case of US strikes.
However, President Trump said on Wednesday that killings linked to the protests were subsiding, adding that he believed there was no plan for large-scale executions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also denied reports of executions, saying there was “no plan” to hang protesters and dismissing such claims as unfounded.