Millions of Iranians took to the streets around the country Friday to celebrate the 38th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
In Tehran, the capital, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators shouted traditional slogans and carried posters slamming the United States.
The rallies commemorate February 11, 1979 when followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ousted U.S.-backed Shah Reza Pahlavi.
President Hassan Rouhani said at the anniversary march in Tehran, “This turnout is a response to false remarks by the new rulers in the White House and the people are telling the world through their presence that the Iranian people must be spoken to with respect.” He said “Iranians will make those using threatening language against this nation regret it.”
U.S. President Donald Trump recently placed sanctions on Iran because of its ballistic missile test last month. He warned Iran that it was “playing with fire.”
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis recently described Iran as “the single biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world.”
One Tehran resident said, “We did not participate in the rally for more than 10 years. This year my wife told me let’s go out to show to the world, particularly Trump, that we love our country despite differences.”
State television aired footage of demonstrations in cities around the country, some of them in freezing temperatures.
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