Iran marks 45th anniversary of Islamic Revolution
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Millions of government supporters in Iran celebrated the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the government-controlled media reported on Sunday.
Images on state television showed crowds of people on the streets of the capital Tehran along with security forces and clerics taking part in the nationwide parades.
Ballistic missiles were also presented in Tehran. A sea of flags filled the streets of the state-organized celebrations, while balloons were released in Freedom Square.
President Ebrahim Raisi called on countries in the region to sever their economic ties with Iran's arch-enemy Israel.
"The Zionist regime is doomed," said Raisi in front of thousands of supporters. "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" chanted the crowd, which is par for the course at such state-organized rallies.
The aim of the enemies of the Islamic Republic was to spread hopelessness among the population, said Raisi - likely a reference to the harsh sanctions against Iran imposed by the West and the numerous economic problems in the country.
In February 1979, an uprising by the then revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini led to the collapse of the monarchy.
In recent years, the Iranian leadership's relationship with the West has deteriorated dramatically because of Tehran's nuclear programme, human rights violations and Iran's support for militant groups in the Middle East.
