PARIS: Iran’s president vowed on Wednesday that the Islamic republic would not bow to outside aggression, as it marked the anniversary of the 1979 revolution with events overshadowed by the looming threat of US military action.
Protesters, meanwhile, renewed anti-government chants from the balconies of residential blocks, in defiance of an ongoing crackdown on opposition to the clerical system, which rights groups say has seen security forces shoot thousands dead.
US President Donald Trump has not ruled out strikes against Tehran although he has tied his decision to a deal on the Iranian nuclear programme rather than treatment of protesters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who wants a tougher stance against Tehran, was due to hold talks with Trump on Wednesday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff held indirect talks on the nuclear issue in Oman on Friday, although it remains unclear when, or even if, a new round might be held, despite optimistic statements from Tehran.
Iran’s supreme national security council head Ali Larijani followed this up with talks in Oman on Tuesday and then on Wednesday in Qatar, one of several Gulf states pressing for a peaceful outcome.
Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Trump on Wednesday discussed in a telephone call “international efforts aimed at de-escalation and strengthening regional security and peace”.
Tamim met also Larijani in person in Doha, discussing “efforts to reduce escalation and enhance regional security”. An American naval group led by an aircraft carrier and dubbed an “armada” by Trump remains in Middle Eastern waters in a clear warning to Tehran.
In a speech at Azadi Square in the capital for the 47th anniversary of the Islamic revolution, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would not yield to “excessive demands” from Washington.
“Our Iran will not yield in the face of aggression, but we are continuing dialogue with all our strength with neighbouring countries in order to establish peace and tranquillity in the region,” he said.
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