Thousands of Iranians drove through the capital Tehran on Wednesday to mark 42 years since the Islamic revolution, but stayed in vehicles rather than marching on foot amid coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
Due to COVID-19, state television said that this year there should be “no gathering or marching” to celebrate the 1979 overthrow of the shah’s regime.
Instead, people travelled by cars, motorcycles and bicycles, to gather in Tehran’s iconic Azadi Square.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Some had painted their cars in the red, white and green colors of the Iranian flag. People chanted the slogan “Death to America” from vehicle windows.
“Only the form... has changed this year, not its nature,” said a correspondent on state television, which broadcast footage of similar rallies in other major cities, including Shiraz, Qom, Isfahan and Mashhad.
Protesters carried portraits of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, as well as Iran’s revered General Qassem Soleimani, killed in an American airstrike in Baghdad in January 2020.
Replica ballistic missiles and Iranian-made military equipment were also paraded.
The coronavirus has infected nearly 1.5 million people in Iran and killed more than 58,000, according to the health ministry.
Iran, which has a population of over 80 million, is the country hardest hit by the pandemic in the region.
It began its COVID-19 vaccination campaign on Tuesday, using Russia’s Sputnik V jab.
A handout picture provided by Iranian presidential office on February 10, 2021 shows Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaking in Live TV speech marking the 42nd anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, in Tehran. (AFP)
Alongside the pandemic, Iran remains mired in an economic crisis, triggered by the decision of former US president Donald Trump to withdraw from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal and reimpose crippling sanctions from 2018.
The administration of US President Joe Biden – who was inaugurated last month – has expressed willingness to return to the deal, but has insisted that Tehran first resume full compliance.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday praised citizens for “their patience in the face of three years of suffering” due to Trump’s “maximum pressure” policies, including economic sanctions.
“The era of maximum sanctions is over, the era of economic warfare is over,” Rouhani said in a televised speech, adding that “everyone has realized that maximum pressure has failed”.
Biden has said he won’t lift sanctions against Iran as long as the Islamic republic is not adhering to its nuclear deal commitments.
But Iran demands sanctions are lifted before it return to its commitments.
Read more:
Iranians would choose the 1979 Islamic Revolution again: Rouhani
Iran’s Khamenei: US must lift sanctions for Tehran to return to nuclear commitments
Tehran is only months away from producing a nuclear weapon: US Secretary Blinken
Iran sanctions US President Trump, Secretary Pompeo, other American officials
Also Read
-
Economic pain may push tough-talking Iran to show nuclear flexibility
Iran insists the new U.S. administration act first to save the collapsing 2015 nuclear deal but faces pent-up pressures, from ruinous ... Middle East -
Iran-backed Houthis claim attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport
The Iran-backed Houthis claimed on Wednesday the attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport and said it was a military target, AFP reported.For all the ... Gulf -
Canadian authorities reviewing audio of Iran’s Zarif discussing Ukraine plane downing
Canada is reviewing an audio recording in which an Iranian official, reportedly identified as Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, concedes that the ... Middle East -
Iran's spy chief says Tehran could seek nuclear arms if 'cornered' by West
Iran’s intelligence minister said persistent Western pressure could push Tehran to fight back like a "cornered cat" and seek nuclear weapons, which ... Middle East
