TEHRAN – Hundreds of thousands of pro-Islamic Republic citizens took to the streets across the country on Saturday to commemorate the anniversary of the mass rallies that put an end to the 2009 post-election unrest.

People took part in rallies and ceremonies to commemorate the “Dey 9 rallies”, which mark the historic gatherings held on the ninth day of the Persian calendar month of Dey after months of post-election protests.

In Tehran, people gathered at the Imam Khomeini Grand Prayer Grounds (Mosalla). 

Eight years ago on the same day, hundreds of thousands of people took part in nation-wide rallies condemning the post-election unrest, which they saw as a foreign-orchestrated revolt aiming to topple the Islamic Republic system.

In June 2009, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won his second presidential term in a landslide. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, two of the four candidates running for presidency, claimed voter fraud. They are currently under house arrest on charges of provoking the public and harming national security.

TV on Saturday aired live demonstrations across the country. The footage showed people waving flags and carrying banners bearing the image of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ayatollah Mohsen Araki, secretary general of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, spoke at the event. He said the Iranian people have proved over the last 40 years that they are resolute in defeating the oppressors of their time.

“The enemy cannot divide the nation through anti-Iran plots,” the ayatollah remarked.

He said the Iranian nation has realized the hegemonic powers’ plots to disrupt the country and will continue to resist against the United States and other big powers.

Resistance will persist until the hegemonic powers become disappointed, he said.

Pointing to the events that followed the 2009 election, Ayatollah Araki said the Iranian nation are experienced and will not let the enemy’s threats and plots be repeated.

He also pointed to Washington’s lack of commitment to the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“We must go back to the pre-nuclear deal situation,” Araki suggested. “The enemy has not kept with its commitments.”

The nuclear deal, signed between Iran, the European Union and six world powers (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany) went into force in January 2016. However, the U.S. Congress has been introducing non-nuclear sanctions against Iran and President Trump has made repeated attacks the agreement, frightening foreign companies and banks to enter into serious business dealings with Iran.

MH/PA