TEHRAN, Iran, February 10, 2017 — Iranians began a nationwide celebration Friday to commemorate the 38th anniversary of the 1979 anti-monarchy revolution with rallies around the country.
Iranian regime elements and supporters in Tehran chanted traditional slogans against the U.S. and Israel. The rallies come at a time when new U.S. President Donald Trump has already engaged in a war of words with Iran’s leadership and put Tehran “on notice” over a recent ballistic missile test.
Among other places, demonstrators marched toward Azadi Square, where Hassan Rouhani was slated to address the crowd.
In downtown Tehran on Enghelab street thousands, some carrying the Iranian flag, some with banners and posters with revolutionary slogans.
Printed U.S. flags and pictures of current and former U.S. presidents were flattened on the road and trampled by some Iran regime supporters.
The rallies commemorate Feb. 11, 1979, when Iranian people ousted the U.S.-backed Shah Reza Pahlavi.
Some posters distributed in English read: “Thanks to American people for supporting Muslims.” Another one next to a picture of Trump said: “Thanks Mr. Trump … for revealing the face of the U.S.,” a reference to remarks Tuesday by Iran’s supreme leader in which he said the “newcomer” Trump had shown the “real face” of the United States.
Some people threw balls and darts targeting pictures of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Many ranking officials attended the ceremony Tehran, including Qassem Soleimani, a general who heads the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s terrorist Quds Force that focuses on foreign operations like the war in Syria. Many of the Quds force commanders are on US list of terrorist organizations. Gen. Qassem Soleimani himself, the top commander of the Quds has been blacklisted by the US and is barred from traveling outside Iran.
Source: extracted from an AP report
