Demonstrators in Iran burn mask of Donald Trump on Al Quds Day May 31st 2019
Demonstrators in Iran burn mask of Donald Trump on Al Quds Day May 31st 2019REUTERS

Thousands of Iranians joined annual rallies in support of the Palestinian Authority and to denounce Israel and the US on Friday, rejecting a US peace plan President Donald Trump has dubbed the "deal of the century".

The Quds (Jerusalem) Day commemorations, which are held on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, were launched by Iran's revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and are held by pro-Iranian groups across the region.

Demonstrators torched US and Israeli flags and burned effigies of Donald Trump and Israeli
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

They held up posters reading "Quds, the eternal capital of Palestine" and "no to the deal of the century".

In similar protests in Baghdad, flags of the United States and the Jewish state were set ablaze and portraits of Trump and Netanyahu trampled as pro-Iranian militias marched through the streets.

The long-awaited "deal", which has yet to be unveiled by its architect, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, has already been rejected by the Palestinian Authority, which has accused Trump’s administration of being biased in favor of Israel.

High-ranking officials attended the Tehran rally, including President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and parliament speaker Ali Larijani.

"Undoubtedly, the deal of the century will become the bankruptcy of the century," the state news agency IRNA quoted Rouhani as telling reporters at the rally.