Iran marked 45 years since its Islamic revolution with a ceremony on Sunday in which President Ebrahim Raisi condemned arch foe Israel over the Gaza attack and demanded it be expelled from the United Nations, AFP reported. Since Iran\u2019s 1979 revolution that overthrew the US-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the region\u2019s main power has had deeply hostile relations with Israel, the United States and Britain. Tensions have spiralled further since the bloodiest ever Gaza unrest erupted on October 7. Support for the Palestinian cause and harsh criticism of the United States \u2014 often dubbed the \u201cGreat Satan\u201d in Iran \u2014 and Israel dominated ceremonies marking the anniversary. In Tehran, Raisi accused the \u201cZionist entity\u201d, Iran\u2019s term for Israel, of committing \u201cgenocide\u201d in Gaza with the support of the United States and other Western countries. Supporters chanted \u201cDown with the United States\u201d, \u201cDown with Israel\u201d and \u201cDown with the United Kingdom\u201d at the square, where Iranian-made missiles and other military hardware were on display. Raisi demanded that the \u201cbombing of Gaza should be stopped as soon as possible\u201d and declared that \u201cthe death of the Zionist regime has come\u201d, in his speech to thousands at Azadi Square in western Tehran. He asked about Israel: \u201cHow can a regime that has violated 400 statements and resolutions of international organisations adhere to UN covenants? \u201cWe believe that one of the important steps that should be taken is the expulsion of the Zionist regime from the United Nations.\u201d Iran has presented itself as one of the main supporters of Hamas and hailed Hamas\u2019s October 7 raid as a \u201csuccess\u201d but denied any direct involvement. Crowds in Azadi Square held up portraits of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and popular general Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in an US strike in January 2020. Iran has been under crippling US sanctions since Washington\u2019s 2018 withdrawal from a landmark deal which granted it sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear programme. The United States has accused Tehran of \u201cactively facilitating\u201d attacks on US forces in the Middle East and of backing attacks on Red Sea shipping by Yemen\u2019s Houthi rebels, charges Iran has denied. Around Azadi Square, Iranian-made Qiam ballistic missiles, Shahed 136 drones and Simorgh satellite launchers were on display.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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