Crowds celebrate 40 years after revolution ousted shah
TEHRAN — Waving Iranian flags, chanting “Death to America” and burning U.S. and Israeli flags, hundreds of thousands of people poured out onto the streets across Iran on Monday, marking the date that’s considered victory day in the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
On Feb. 11 that year, Iran’s military stood down after days of street battles, allowing the revolutionaries to sweep across the country while the government of U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi resigned and the Islamic Republic was born.
In Tehran, despite rain, crowds streamed in from the capital’s far-flung neighborhoods to mass in the central Azadi, or Freedom, Square, waving Iranian flags and chanting “Death to America” — standard fare at rallies across Iran.
Chants of “Death to Israel” and “Death to Britain” followed, and demonstrators burned U.S. and Israeli flags. Iranian state TV, which said millions participated in the celebrations, ran archive footage of the days of the uprising and played revolutionary songs.
Every year, the anniversary festivities start on Feb. 1 — the day Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from France after 14 years in exile to become the supreme leader as Shiite clerics took power. The celebrations continue for 10 days, climaxing on Feb. 11.
This year’s anniversary comes as Iran grapples with the aftermath of President Trump’s decision last May to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal and restore tough U.S. sanctions.
Speaking from a podium in central Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani addressed the crowds for nearly 45 minutes, lashing out at Iran’s enemies — America and Israel — and claiming their efforts to “bring down” the country through sanctions will not succeed.
“The presence of people in this celebration means that plots by the enemies ... have been defused,” Rouhani said. “They will not achieve their ill-omened aims.”
In the backdrop to Monday’s marches, the military displayed Iranian-made missiles, which authorities showcase every year during anniversary celebrations. The missiles have a range of up to 1,250 miles, placing Israel and U.S. military bases within range.
Rouhani also promised that Iran would overcome its economic hardships, worsened by the restored U.S. sanctions.
Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, attended a rally in the southern city of Kerman. He is widely seen as the mastermind of Iran’s extensive military activities across the region, which have also angered Washington. Iran supports the Lebanese Hezbollah and other militias in the region, and is closely allied with Syria’s government.