Iran’s revolution anniversary marred by protests, nuclear tensions

Iran marked the 47th anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution on Wednesday as the country’s theocracy remains under pressure, both from US President Donald Trump who suggested sending another aircraft carrier group to the Middle East and a public angrily denouncing Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.

The commemoration represented a split-screen view of life in Iran, with state television showing hundreds of thousands of people across the country attending pro-government rallies, which included the burning of American flags and cries of “Death to America!” The night before, as government-sponsored fireworks lit the dark sky, witnesses heard shouts from people’s homes in the Iranian capital, Tehran, of “Death to the dictator!”

Meanwhile, President Masoud Pezeshkian got on stage at Azadi Square in Tehran and insisted that Iran is willing to negotiate over its nuclear programme as fledgling nuclear talks with America hang in the balance.

Whether the talks succeed remains an open question – and Mideast nations fear their collapse could plunge the region into another regional war. A top Iranian security official travelled Qatar on Wednesday after earlier visiting Oman, which has mediated this latest round of negotiations. Just before the official’s arrival, Qatar’s ruling emir received a phone call from Trump.

In his speech at the anniversary ceremony, Pezeshkian also insisted that his nation was “not seeking nuclear weapons”, and are “ready for any kind of verification". However, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog – the International Atomic Energy Agency – has been unable for months to inspect and verify Iran’s nuclear stockpile.

“The high wall of mistrust that the United States and Europe have created through their past statements and actions does not allow these talks to reach a conclusion,” Pezeshkian said.