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.
‘Will not yield’
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.
The West believes that Tehran is seeking a nuclear weapon but Pezeshkian again insisted the atomic programme was entirely peaceful and that Iran was ready for “any verification” by inspectors.
He was speaking as people filled the square and others across the country waved flags of the Islamic Republic to mark its main revolutionary holiday.
‘We will disappoint our enemies’
People brandished images of Trump with the slogan “we will disappoint our enemies”, an AFP journalist said.
In a change from previous years, some women participating in the rallies did not wear the Islamic headscarf that is obligatory for all women in the Islamic Republic, with state TV even broadcasting interviews with some.
The protests and the threat of US military action have posed a major challenge for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s No 1, who took up his post for life in 1989 after the death of Khomeini.
Late Tuesday, as authorities set off fireworks to mark the event, people took to balconies in Tehran to chant slogans including “death to Khamenei” and “death to the dictator”, according to footage shared by widely-followed protest monitor channels on Telegram and X, including Vahid Online and Mamlekate.
AFP verified three such videos posted by Mamlekate.
According to the US-based group Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), 6984 people, including 6490 protesters, were killed during protests as authorities launched the crackdown last month.
Meanwhile, at least 52,623 people have been arrested in the crackdown, it added.
Those arrested most recently have included figures in the reformist movement inside Iran who supported Pezeshkian’s 2024 election campaign.
The chanting of the slogans late on Tuesday marked a “continuation of the nationwide protests despite the prevailing security atmosphere and widespread control measures”, HRANA said.
- Agence France-Presse
