00:19Millions of Iranians in the capital of Tehran and across the country are marking a historic
00:23turning point that transformed Iran from a US ally to its archfow. And that's the 1979 Islamic
00:30Revolution that toppled Iran's last monarch, Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, and established a new
00:35political system that's a theocratic clerical rule called the Islamic Republic that's been ruling
00:42the country for over four decades. So as you can see, people from all walks of life have gathered
00:49today marching from two landmarks, the El-Ghalab or Revolution Square in downtown Tehran all the way
00:57to the Azadi Square or Freedom Square like six kilometers away from the El-Ghalab Square. That's
01:04a symbolic path taken and marched every year by different Iranians to renew their allegiance to
01:10the principles of the Islamic Revolution and of course announce and express their support for
01:15the Islamic establishment including the leader of Iran, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
01:20But this year it's very much different compared to previous years as this year comes against the
01:25backdrop of a historic unprecedented naval buildup by the United States around Iran's water space
01:32and of course the looming conflict between the two sides and Iran now is facing a fork of war versus
01:41diplomacy. Actually they're urging the Iranian government to stand firm to its principles and
01:47they are saying, relaying very strong messages today to the world and of course to the Islamic Republic
01:53saying they're ready for any scenario, be it war or be it diplomacy, they're saying that they're ready
02:00for any scenario and they're backing and supporting their government. And one of the major things that
02:07happen usually during these events is that Iranians echo the remarks of their supreme leader. The
02:14supreme leader and the Islamic Republic in general are calling for a fair dialogue, a dialogue with the
02:20United States based on equal footing and these messages echo today by this crowd of the supporters of
02:28the Islamic establishment. They're saying that they're ready to support the Islamic Republic and the
02:32positions of the Islamic Republic during any talks with the United States. They're saying that
02:37Iran has the right to enrich uranium domestically. I talked to several people here today and they
02:43all told me that they are calling on the Iranian government to negotiate based on dignity and not
02:49to abandon its right to enriching uranium and not to include other topics like Iran's ballistic missile
02:55capabilities and of course its regional alliances on the table. They're saying they're ready for a deal with
03:01the United States as long as that deal respects Iran's sovereignty and of course rights to enriching uranium
03:07them locally. Well today all the people of Iran have come out onto the streets to demonstrate that
03:13the true majority, the main population that exists within this country and actively supports the system
03:19is indeed this very crowd. Let the people witness this. Let our enemies witness this. Let the European
03:25countries see this massive turnout. This is the real population. We have all come onto the scene to
03:32demonstrate and to help ensure that the enemy who has made a serious miscalculation rectifies his stance
03:40and refrains from making any erroneous decisions concerning our country. No matter what may come to
03:46pass, we the proud people of Iran stand resolutely behind our nation, behind our sacred system and behind
03:52our esteemed leadership and to our very last breath we shall defend this country and this system.
03:56Even if it enters a war our people are certainly united and they won't be able to accomplish anything.
04:01Today we have come for our leader, for our country, for our Iran to declare that we are here, we
04:06are not alone.
04:07It's true that I see there are some problems. High costs and things have made it tough for people
04:14but if war breaks out and an outsider enters our Iran, well that makes the situation much worse.
04:21We saw what happened in that 12-day war. So many people were killed. But in the end,
04:27we must stand by our homeland. In the name of God, today is the 47th anniversary of the victory
04:32of the Islamic Revolution of Iran. Indeed, for 47 years we have steadfastly stood by this revolution
04:38and we will never under any circumstances deviate from the supreme leader's command. This day reminds us
04:44of all the sacrifices and struggles of the late Imam, the revered founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran,
04:50and all the noble martyrs who, with their precious blood, endeavored to bring this glorious revolution
04:55to its ultimate fruition. And all of us, the people of Iran, whether we are young or old,
04:59men or women alike, we will strive with every fibre of our being until the very last drop of our
05:04precious
05:04blood to wholeheartedly support all these noble objectives and we will stand firm with our revolution
05:09until the absolute end. So many scientists, so much effort, 47 years of striving. Also, we could achieve this
05:17kind of independence to not be under any foreign domination. It's true that economic problems exist
05:23and officials are negligent in many areas, but that doesn't mean we should, because of this issue,
05:30want to lose our freedom and independence. Firstly, we came out for this reason, because our leader gave
05:36the command and we obeyed. Our coming out was an act of obedience and it is our sacred duty. The
05:43struggle of
05:44the Islamic revolution did not just come into being without effort or sacrifice. Much blood has been
05:49shed. Many mothers sat in mourning for their children and cried until we achieved this Islamic system.
05:56We cannot lose our country, our Islam and our system just because of the empty words from Trump, Netanyahu,
06:04who Israel and this damned America. We stand firmly behind our system. We always will and we will pass
06:11on this culture to our children as well. Forever, we ourselves, our lives, our children and all that we
06:18possess are sacrificed for our leader and our system. The fact that America and Israel issue threats,
06:23conduct military exercises and boasts in the region's arenas. Naturally, the Islamic Republic has also
06:30achieved truly extraordinary defensive and offensive capabilities. These capabilities mean that when
06:36facing America and Israel, it can certainly stand with far more power than they could possibly imagine.
06:44Our people, despite all their economic and cultural problems and their dissatisfaction with some officials,
06:51are not saying they reject the Islamic Republic or the government. That's simply not true.
06:55We are witnessing this very fact in the presence of these people. On the 18th and 19th of day 1404,
07:03the incident that occurred involved coordinations with the espionage services of America and Israel.
07:13Unfortunately, some individuals exploited the situation, taking advantage of the protests that arose
07:18concerning economic issues. This led to a wave of opportunism which was coordinated
07:23with foreign intelligence services. An aggressive attack was then launched with the clear objective
07:28of overthrowing the entire system. In military centers, in administrative centers and throughout the city,
07:33our security forces, with the careful foresight they demonstrated, successfully prevented this
07:39sedition and the resulting widespread disorder from engulfing our nation. Walking among the marching crowd,
07:46you can see a lot of signs and messages, especially around the Al-Zadi square. You can see those missiles
07:53positioned all across or all around the Al-Zadi square, and these missiles send very strong messages
07:58to the United States. They want to say that the Iranian ballistic missile capability is non-negotiable.
08:04This is something that is echoed by Iranian officials. Iran is saying that it is ready to engage in talks
08:10about its nuclear file, but they're not willing to make concessions about their missile capabilities,
08:16because they believe that the Iranian missile capability is what saved the country during the
08:2112-day war with Israel back in June last year. They're saying that this represents Iran's deterrence
08:28for Iran, of course, and they're not willing to abandon their capability. Mass turnout has always been a
08:33significant factor for these Islamic Republic officials. And this year, too, the Iranian supreme leader,
08:38a few days ahead of the event, called for mass participation in today's ceremonies, saying that
08:45let's frustrate the Iranian enemies. That was echoed by the Iranian President Masoud Pesashqian,
08:51who called mass participation as a means to show or boast national unity to the United States and Israel
09:00or Iranian adversaries. So why is it so much significant for Iranian officials? Because mass participation,
09:06large numbers of people taking to the streets waving the flag of the Islamic Republic, means or is
09:13tenemount to a seal of approval for the legitimacy of the Islamic establishment. They see mass participation
09:20as a means of support or showing or expressing support for the ideals of the Islamic revolution,
09:27something that they fought for more than four decades ago. And this year, it gains even more significance.
09:32Why? Because it came on the heels of a sweeping nationwide protests that erupted across the country in December last
09:40year
09:40and continued until 2026, January 2026. And something which was used or resorted to by the United States
09:48to tell the world that the Islamic Republic is unpopular. But the Iranian, on the Iranian side,
09:54they see such mass participation as a counterweight to those sweeping protests, saying and telling the world,
10:02sending this message to the world, that let's look at the bigger picture. If there is some protest erupting
10:07across the country, there has been also significant support or significant popularity by these people who
10:15chant slogans in favor of the Islamic Republic, saying they are ready to give their lives for the Supreme
10:21leader and for the ideals of the Islamic revolution. So what we see today is a very strong message relayed
10:29to the world by the Islamic Republic and by its supporters today, that despite the fact that Iran is
10:35reeling from the economic pressures imposed by the West as a result of the sanctions, they continue to support
10:43their establishment and their leaders. Of course, I talked to several people and they all told me
10:49that there is a significant economic hardship in the country. They all suffer under this economic
10:55hardship, but they are not willing to give up or abandon the ideals they fought for more than four decades
11:02ago.
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