Iran marks Islamic revolution with demand to expel Israel from UN

AFP , Sunday 11 Feb 2024

Iran marked 45 years since its Islamic revolution with a ceremony Sunday in which President Ebrahim Raisi condemned Israel over its war on Gaza and demanded it be expelled from the United Nations.

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Women raise portraits of Iran s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) and slain top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in front of a Sejil surface-to-surface missile, as people gather to mark the 45th anniversary of the Islamic revolution in Tehran on February 11, 2024.AFP

 

In Tehran, Raisi accused the "Zionist entity", of committing "genocide" in Gaza with the support of the United States and other Western countries.

Supporters chanted "Down with the United States", "Down with Israel" and "Down with the United Kingdom" at the square, where Iranian-made missiles and other military hardware were on display.

Raisi demanded that the "bombing of Gaza should be stopped as soon as possible" and declared that "the death of the Zionist regime has come", in his speech to thousands at Azadi Square in western Tehran.

He asked about Israel: "How can a regime that has violated 400 statements and resolutions of international organizations adhere to UN covenants?

"We believe that one of the important steps that should be taken is the expulsion of the Zionist regime from the United Nations."

 Drones, missiles on display 

Crowds in Azadi Square held up portraits of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and popular general Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in January 2020.

Around Azadi Square, Iranian-made Qiam ballistic missiles, Shahed 136 drones, and Simorgh satellite launchers were on display.

The celebrations come ahead of the March 1 legislative elections, the first national vote since a large-scale protest movement shook Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022.

Amini, 22, died after being arrested for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic's strict dress code for women.

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