Chanting demonstrators, some draped in Iranian flags, waved placards reading “Down with USA!” and carried posters of the Supreme Leader. Others set American flags on fire, a favourite action at such rallies.
The protests are in response to a call from the Coordinating Council of Islamic Propaganda that urged people to show their support for Tehran’s demand that European partners take action to ease pressure on Iran’s oil and banking sectors. If Europe fails to meet Tehran’s expectations, Iran will resume some nuclear activity, President Hassan Rouhani warned on May 8, exactly one year after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord.
Protesters sent a message to US President Donald Trump, vowing that Iran will respond to any threats with the “iron fist” of the country’s youth, Mehr news reported.
At Friday prayers in the mosques, preachers extolled the government’s more hardline stance.
Iranian demonstrators chant anti-US slogans during a rally in the capital Tehran, on May 10 2019. Photo: AFP
European parties to the deal – the United Kingdom, France, and Germany – responded to Rouhani that they are committed to the nuclear deal but will not be coerced by ultimatums.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif then accused Europe of succumbing to American pressure.
The European statement “is why JCPOA is where it is: the US has bullied Europe – and the rest of the world – for a year and EU can only express ‘regret’,” he tweeted Thursday.
“Instead of demanding that Iran unilaterally abide by a multilateral accord, EU should uphold obligations – [including] normalization of economic ties,” he stated.
A year on from Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran’s currency has lost over 60 percent of its value, factories have been closed, and unemployment has increased.
'Israel and the US are the axis of corruption. The free of the world are ready for jihad,' reads a sign carried by a protester in Tehran on May 10, 2019. Photo: AFP
Announcing yet more sanctions on May 8, Trump claimed success for his administration’s tactics. “A lot can change in a year when we make bold decisions to defend America’s national security,” he stated.
“Because of our action, the Iranian regime is struggling to fund its campaign of violent terror, as its economy heads into an unprecedented depression, government revenue dries up, and inflation spirals out of control. We are successfully imposing the most powerful maximum pressure campaign ever witnessed, which today’s action will further strengthen.”
The Iranian government remains unbowed, however, and there have been no mass public protests against the government or in support of Washington’s stance.
In a shift of tone, Trump on Thursday said he was ready to talk with Iran’s leaders. His comments come after the US deployed an aircraft carrier to the region, reportedly in response to unspecified threats out of Iran against American interests in the Middle East.
