Tens of thousands of Iranians rallied Monday to mark the 29th anniversary of the Islamic revolution, in a show of defiance of Western pressure on Iran to suspend its disputed nuclear program.
Almost three decades after the revolution, women in head-to-toe black chador and men shouted "Death to America," the ritual chant of the 1979 revolution which toppled the U.S.-backed Shah and swept the Shiite Muslim clergy to power.
Iranian officials had called on people to turn out in large numbers to show their unity in the face of Western pressure. State television broadcast live footage of major rallies held in other cities.
The West fears Tehran is covertly trying to obtain nuclear bombs. The Islamic Republic says it needs nuclear technology to meet its booming electricity demand.
"With this rally, Western countries will understand that they cannot impose their will on us and they see that we back our leader and government," Ali Salmani, 17, told Reuters in Tehran.
Two rounds of U.N. sanctions
Tehran's defiance of a U.N. Security Council demand that it suspend uranium enrichment, which can have both civilian and military uses, has led to two rounds of sanctions. World powers have drafted broader measures for a third resolution.
"America should understand and believe that the Iranian nation will not back down from its rights," said another demonstrator, Leila Jafari.
Iran and the United States have not had diplomatic ties since shortly after the revolution, when hardline students seized the U.S. embassy and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.