TEHRAN – Tens of millions of Iranians rallied Saturday in Tehran and other major cities to mark the 44th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, as President Ebrahim Raisi said foreign-backed riots had been defeated.
For the past two years, the 1979 overthrow of the Western-backed shah was commemorated mainly by Iranians who drove around cities in their cars or on motorcycles due to Covid restrictions.
But this year, waving flags, they took to the streets of Tehran on foot and converged on Azadi (Freedom) Square, one of the capital’s most prominent landmarks, despite chilly temperatures.
They chanted “Down with the U.S.”, “Down with Israel”, “Down with the UK” and “Down with the traitor Al Saud”, in reference to Saudi rulers.
People held up pictures of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei as well as the late Imam Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, and General Qasem Soleimani, martyred in a U.S. airstrike on Baghdad airport in January 2020.
They also held placards reading “We stand to the end”, “A united, strong and stable Iran” and “We obey the Leader”.
Sejjil ballistic missiles and Shahed 136 drones were on display around the square where President Raisi said people had gathered to renew their “allegiance” to the Islamic Revolution.
“This pledge of allegiance is much greater than a vote” of confidence in the Islamic Republic, said the president.
Raisi also declared victory over the foreign-backed riots. The president repeated that the riots were provoked and fuelled by the West.
“See what the enemies did in this one year and what conspiracies they organized? But the history-making nation of Iran recognized the evil hand of the enemy and shone brightly on the stage and defeated the enemy,” he said.
“The issue of the enemy is neither women, nor life, freedom, human rights and nuclear (program) but rather they want to take away the independence, freedom and peaceful life of the Iranian nation,” Raisi said.
Celebrations for the 44th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution were held in 1,400 cities and towns across the country, and national television aired footage of large rallies in Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz, and Tabriz.
The 22 Bahman celebrations mark the day that the shah’s government fell 10 days after Imam Khomeini returned from exile.
Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi had already fled Iran in January 1979, after months of protests against his rule.
“Pahlavi’s despotic rule only brought backwardness to this nation and country,” Raisi said. “They came to power against the principles of the Constitution and with a coup.”
Raisi lauded 22 Bahman as the day of the triumph of “truth over falsity,” the day of the victory of “the oppressed over the arrogant,” and the realization of the “miracle of the century.”
The epic day put an end to tyranny and dependence and marked the beginning of independence, freedom and the Islamic Republic, he added.
Pointing to the country’s achievements in various areas, including science and technology, economy, defense, health and medicine, Raisi said, “Today, we rank first in the region in many fields and we are in the fourth, fifth and sixth place in many arenas in the world. This is for our self-discovery, self-confidence, and reliance on God. Our dear nation has conquered many peaks but the enemy cannot stand it.”
The president said when the enemies saw that the country was progressing in all fields and was not stalled, they started hatching another plot and thought that they could stop the country through instigating chaos.
“They initiated a combined work in the form of a political, economic, media, psychological and cognitive warfare, unaware that the Iranian nation knows them and their tricks.”
The president said, “Today, despite the threats and sanctions, Islamic Iran enjoys the growth of fixed capital, investment growth, economic growth, and growth in other indices.”