Crowds wave Iranian flags, chant slogans and carry placards that read ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel’ as they celebrate uprising that ousted Western-backed monarchy Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said Friday that his country “never has hope” in the nuclear negotiations with world powers to restore the 2015 nuclear deal.
“We put our hopes in the east, west, north, south of our country and never have hope in Vienna and New York,” Raisi said in a televised speech as Iran marked the 43rd anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Thousands of cars and motorbikes paraded in celebration of the event, although fewer pedestrians were out for a second straight year due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
In the capital Tehran, processions started out from several points, converging on the usual meetup point at Azadi Square.
The anniversary comes as negotiations to revive Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers continue in Vienna. Former US president Donald Trump withdrew the US from the deal in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions, and in response, Iran gradually reneged on its commitments.
Read more: Times of Israel