Deutsche WelleUnder-pressure Iran marks Islamic Revolution anniversary Timothy Jones AP, AFP – February 11, 2026
A commemoration in Iran of the 1979 Islamic Revolution is taking place amid internal and external strains. A bloody crackdown on protests last month has deeply corroded the faith of many in the country’s leadership.
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Iran on Wednesday marked the 47th anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution, which put an end to the country’s historical monarchy and replaced it with a clerical, theocratic regime.
The commemorations come as the country is facing a highly confrontational strategy from the US President Donald Trump’s administration, while experiencing public outrage over the regime’s violent suppression of nationwide anti-government protests.
Iran marks 1979 revolution anniversary amid deadly crackdown
How has Iran marked the Revolution anniversary?
State television broadcast footage of tens of thousands of people across the country taking part in pro-government rallies.
Some of the participants were seen burning US flags and shouting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
Others waved images of the country’s current supreme leader, 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, alongside Iranian and Palestinian flags.
However, there were also reports that several protesters had called out anti-government chants from the balconies of residential blocks despite the regime’s ongoing suppression of the opposition.
Pezeschkian vows to defy US nuclear demands
To mark the anniversary, President Masoud Pezeshkian also delivered a speech at Azadi Square in the capital, Tehran, in which he vowed that Iran would not give in to “excessive demands” from Washington.
“Our Iran will not yield in the face of, but we are continuing dialogue with all our strength with neighboring countries in order to establish peace and tranquillity in the region,” he said.
In his speech, Pezeshkian again insisted that Iran’s nuclear program was entirely peaceful and that Iran was ready for “any verification” by inspectors.
His remarks came in response to reiterated US demands that Iran completely halt its uranium enrichment, which many Western countries believe is a step toward Tehran gaining nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump has not ruled out carrying out more strikes on Iran and has suggested sending another aircraft carrier group to the Middle East to maintain pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff held indirect talks on the nuclear issue in Oman on Friday.
However, it remains unclear if a new round might be held.
Apology for crackdown on Iranian opposition
In other remarks, apologized to “all those affected” by the nationwide protests and the bloody crackdown that followed.
“We are ashamed before the people, and we are obligated to assist all those who were harmed in these incidents,” Pezeshkian said. “We are not seeking confrontation with the people.”
However, he failed to acknowledge the role played by Iranian security forces in the bloody suppression, which killed thousands and saw tens of thousands detained, according to activists.
He also claimed that “Western propaganda” had overblown reports of the violence.
What was the 1979 Islamic Revolution?
In 1979, the last shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who came to power in 1953 after a coup backed by US and UK intelligence agencies, was deposed amid a broad uprising.
The rebellion was driven by widespread perception of the shah as corrupt, repressive and beholden to foreign powers, particularly the US and the UK.
After a period of transitional governance, the then-exiled Ayatollah Khomenei was invited back to the country and became its supreme leader in December 1979.
Since then, Iran, renamed the Islamic Republic of Iran, has been governed by an authoritarian, theocratic regime.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
Timothy Jones Writer, translator and editor with DW’s online news team.Send us your feedback
