Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi believes that nationwide anti-government protests that have been going on for months have failed. “The Iranian people have failed the project of unrest and media warfare of the foreign enemies,” Raisi said on Saturday. This neutralized another conspiracy controlled from abroad and secured another victory for the revolution, the president said on the 44th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Raisi again accused foreign countries – especially the US – of leading and funding the protests to halt progress in Iran. According to Raisi, the foreign representations of the role of women in Iran are simply not correct. Women are free and represented in all top positions, but unlike in the West they are “not marketed as objects”. In addition, the focus in Iran is on the family and not on matters such as homosexuality. “This (homosexuality) nullifies the status of the family and ultimately erases the human generation,” the cleric said.
However, the reality in Iran is different from what Raisi portrays. Although there are fewer street demonstrations, protests continue in other forms. Among other things, more and more women are ignoring the headscarf obligation in public and thus the Islamic regulations. In addition, there are increasing calls for a constitutional amendment and a referendum to determine the new political course of the country.
In addition, the Raisi government is embroiled in the worst economic crisis in Iranian history. The national currency, the rial, has continued to depreciate and there is no sign of improving the situation. Due to the violent crackdown on the demonstrators, further sanctions were imposed on the theocracy, leading to the international isolation of the country.
Celebrations marking the 44th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution took place in Iran amid protests against the system. According to state broadcaster IRIB, millions of people in the capital Tehran and other cities took part in the state-organized rallies on Saturday.
In February 1979, an uprising led by revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini led to the collapse of the monarchy. This time, the anniversary of the Islamic revolution was overshadowed by the protests that have been going on since the fall. They were initially directed against the Islamic headscarf obligation in the context of a women’s movement, but then against the entire Islamic system. The demonstrators and the Iranian opposition at home and abroad are calling for secular democracy instead of the theocratic rule of the past four decades.
More than 500 people have been killed and nearly 20,000 demonstrators arrested since the protests began in September 2022, according to human rights activists. On the anniversary of the revolution, Iran’s head of state, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pardoned tens of thousands of prisoners. Among them would be protesters arrested during the recent wave of protests. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
