Hundreds of thousands across Iran yesterday marked the anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution amid some of the highest tensions ever between Tehran and the US in the past four decades.
While Iranian President Hassan Rouhani gave a speech in Tehran’s iconic Azadi Square denouncing the US, he also focused on encouraging the country to vote in upcoming parliamentary elections, even after officials disqualified thousands from running, including 90 current lawmakers.
Iran views high turnout as a vote of confidence in the country’s Shiite theocracy, something it wants to show as public anger still simmers over the country accidentally shooting down a Ukrainian jetliner in January that killed all 176 people onboard.
Photo: AFP
Tehran for days denied its forces shot down the passenger plane before admitting to it in the face of mounting Western pressure.
The incident also marred funeral processions that drew millions of mourners for Iranian major general Qassem Soleimani, killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad.
“We should not withdraw from the ballot boxes,” Rouhani called out to the thousands in the crowd, who rallied in the city in freezing winter weather. “The ballot boxes are our savior.”
There is also anger over Iran’s long-faltering economy, which has been hard hit by US sanctions. In November last year, protesters angered by Iran raising government-set gasoline prices by 50 percent blocked traffic in major cities and occasionally clashed with police.
Amnesty International says that more than 300 were killed in violent protests and a subsequent government crackdown.
Iran’s government did not release any death toll, although lawmakers said thousands were detained.
Rouhani called on voters to still turnout despite “possible complaints and criticism.”
“I beg you not to be passive,” he said.
State media said that the rallies took place in more than 5,000 cities, towns and districts all around Iran.
State television referred to this year’s anniversary as “Soleimani Dawn.”
His image could be seen on signs carried by demonstrators, as well as a large poster off to Rouhani’s side during his speech.
The Iranian president spent much of his speech praising Soleimani, calling him a great military commander and a “senior diplomat.”
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese