Leader lauds turnout in Islamic Revolution

Ayatollah Khamenei made the comments during a meeting in Tehran with a group of people from the northwestern province of East Azarbaijan on Wednesday.

On February 10, people from all walks of life rallied in different cities and towns across the country to celebrate the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which toppled the former US-backed regime and set the stage for the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Prior to the rallies, the Leader had called on the nation to attend the demonstrations en masse in response to the new US administration’s hostile rhetoric and threats against the Islamic Republic.

“These are the third and fourth generations of the Revolution, who are standing against the enemy and making themselves heard with determination,” the Leader said in reference to the youths that actively took part in the rallies.

Elsewhere in his comments, the Leader rejected as “sheer lies” the claims that a military confrontation with Iran would be imminent, had it not been for last July’s nuclear deal between Tehran and the P5+1 group of states.

“Why do they mention war? In order to divert minds towards war,” said the Leader, describing the economic pressure and sanctions against Iran as the “real war” against the nation.

The threat of a military action has been used as a strategy in dealing with the Islamic Republic by both the previous and current administrations in the US, Ayatollah Khamenei said.

/SR