A large explosion rocked a central square in Iran's capital where thousands were gathered Friday for an annual state-organized rally to support the Palestinians and call for Israel's demise. Israel had warned that it would target the area in central Tehran.

There were no reports of casualties. But the decision to proceed with the mass demonstration that was attended by some senior government officials, and Israel's threat to target the area, underscored the fierce determination on both sides nearly two weeks into a war that has rattled the global economy and shows no sign of letting up.

Iran has continued to launch widespread missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf states and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil passes, even as U.S. and Israeli warplanes pummel military sites 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 strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants and warned there would be no let up.

With growing global concerns about a possible energy crisis, the price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, hovered around $100 per barrel. Brent prices are about 40% higher than when Israel and the United States launched the war on Feb. 28.

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

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

Israel had issued a warning on a Farsi-language X account for people to clear the area shortly before the blast. But few Iranians would have seen it, as authorities have almost completely shut down the internet since the start of the war.

Footage from the scene showed people chanting "God is greatest" as smoke rose in the area.

The Israeli military later posted a second message in Farsi, noting the head of Iran's judiciary was at the rally and criticizing Iran for blocking many from seeing their warning.

The hard-liner who leads Iran's judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, had been giving an interview on state television at the demonstration when the strike happened. His bodyguards encircled him as he raised his fist and said that Iran "under this rain and missiles will never withdraw."

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

In Washington, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said that over 15,000 enemy targets have been struck, which is more than 1,000 a day since the war began.

He also sought to address concerns about the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, telling reporters, "We have been dealing with it and don't need to worry about it."

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday vowed to continue the attacks and keep the waterway closed in his first public statement since succeeding his father, who was killed in the opening day of the war. Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking over leadership and released a written statement.

Hegseth said Khamenei "is wounded and likely disfigured," without providing evidence or elaborating. Israel suspects Khamenei was wounded at the start of the war.

Iranian authorities say that more than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran, and Israel has reported 12 deaths.