News / Politics

Iranians preparing to mark Islamic Revolution anniversary amid US threats

Wednesday, 08 February 2017 7:38 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 10 February 2017 6:39 AM ]

Iranians take to the streets of the capital Tehran on February 11, 2016 to commemorate the 37th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

Iranians from all walks of life are preparing for rallies marking the 38th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution amid the new US administration's stepped-up anti-Iran rhetoric.

Each year, millions of Iranians take to the streets across the country on Bahman 22 (the date on the Persian calendar coinciding with the anniversary of the February 11, 1979 Islamic Revolution) to commemorate the victory of the Revolution, which put an end to the monarchical rule of the US-backed Pahlavi regime. The anniversary of the Islamic Revolution falls on February 10 this year.

The Islamic Revolution, under the leadership of Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic, established a new political system based on Islamic values and democracy.

The nationwide rallies are the manifestation of the Iranian people’s allegiance to the causes of the Islamic Revolution and ideals of Imam Khomeini.

This year’s rallies will be held as the administration of new US President Donald Trump has been ratcheting up pressure and tough talk against the Islamic republic.

In a move which sparked widespread censure, the new US president signed a sweeping executive order on January 27 to ban citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, from traveling to the US.

US President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on January 27, 2017. (Via EPA)

On February 3, the Trump administration also imposed new sanctions on Iran over a recent missile test, claiming that the missile launch violated UN Resolution 2231 that endorsed the July 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, including the US.

Throughout the US presidential campaign, Trump also criticized the administration of Barack Obama for being “too soft” on Iran, promising to “rip up” Iran’s nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iranian officials have rejected and condemned the recent anti-Iran threats by the new US administration.

On Tuesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the Iranian people would be responding to Trump’s anti-Iran threats on the upcoming anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“Trump says, ‘Fear me!’ No. The [Iranian] people will respond to these remarks on Bahman 22 and will show what position the Iranian people assume vis-à-vis threats,” the Leader said in a meeting with a number of commanders, officers, pilots, and staff members from Iran’s Air Force and the country’s Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base.

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