Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, often described as a moderate, said that Friday’s observance of Qods Day is a time for Iran to “shout its hatred” of Israel, the semi-official Fars news agency reported Wednesday.

“People will tell the world on the Quds Day that the Muslim nations will never forget Palestine and occupation of this territory,” Rouhani said in an interview with the state TV on Wednesday.

He underlined that the Iranian nation will shout its hatred for the Zionists on the Quds Day, given the massacre of innocent people by the terrorists in the region and their links with Israel.

“The Islamic Ummah will actually shout the call of unity on the Quds Day,” Rouhani stressed.

Earlier this week, former Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who has been described as a mentor to Rouhani, portrayed the emerging nuclear deal as a prelude to Israel’s destruction.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared this week that destroying Israel remains “Muslims’ first priority.” It is believed that the IRGC will be a major beneficiary of unfrozen funds provided by sanctions relief after a deal is concluded.

As reports of a possible deal have emerge from Vienna, chants of “Death to America” also are becoming more common in Iran. Before the Lausanne understandings were announced in April, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led chants of “Death to America.”

Qods Day was instituted by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979, dedicating the last Friday of Ramadan to calls for Israel’s destruction.

[Photo: AFP news agency / YouTube ]