Mass demonstrations mark 30 years of Iranian revolution

September 18th, 2009 Iran government supporters, opposition hold rallyTEHRAN, Iran — Tens of thousands of Iranian government supporters and dozens of opposition activists poured out Friday onto the streets of Tehran for coinciding marches marking an annual pro-Palestinian commemoration. Baton-totting police and security troops, along with the pro-government Basij militia that helped crush mass street protests this summer against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election, were deployed along main squares and boulevards but the rallies kicked off peacefully.

September 18th, 2009 Iran hard-liners attack reformist ex-presidentTEHRAN, Iran — A group of Iranian hard-liners have attacked a reformist former president while he was marching with opposition supporters at an anti-government rally in Tehran. A reformist Web site cites witnesses as saying the attackers pushed ex-President Mohammad Khatami to the ground.

September 18th, 2009 Iranian government supporters, opposition to rallyTEHRAN, Iran — Police are deploying across Tehran as people take to the streets for a government-sponsored pro-Palestinian rally that will be addressed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The opposition has said it would also hold a protest on Friday, in defiance of warnings by the clerical establishment against anti-government rallies.

September 17th, 2009 Iranian regime's forces warn opposition over rallyTEHRAN, Iran — The Iranian regime's elite Revolutionary Guard is warning opposition protesters against holding a new anti-government demonstration. Opposition activists have called for protests to coincide with government-sponsored demonstrations marking Quds Day, dedicated to condemning Israel and expressing support for the Palestinians.

August 3rd, 2009 TEHRAN - Renewed protest demonstrations started Monday in Tehran, just hours after the official endorsement of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second presidential term, eye-witnesses said. Thousands gathered between the two squares of Vali Asr and Vanak which connect central to northern Tehran, they said.

July 10th, 2009 Family: Iranian-American democracy scholar heldNEW YORK — The family of an Iranian-American scholar says he has been arrested by Iranian authorities for the second time in two years. A relative says security forces arrested Kian Tajbakhsh late Thursday.

June 26th, 2009 TEHRAN - A senior Iranian cleric called on the judiciary Friday to impose death sentences on the leaders of the recent protests against an alleged fraud in the June 12 presidential election. "I call on the judiciary for a decisive confrontation with the leaders of these illegal demonstrations and ask for capital punishment against them without any mercy," Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, who is close to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said at Friday prayers.

June 26th, 2009 Protesters attack Iranian embassy in SwedenSTOCKHOLM — Demonstrators attacked the Iranian Embassy outside the Swedish capital Friday, throwing stones and trying to force themselves in, police said. About 150 protesters, some masked, rushed the embassy gates, but it was not immediately clear if any managed to get inside the building, police said.

June 17th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that the results of the presidential election were an approval of the government's performance, Fars news agency reported. "The election was a de facto referendum by 40 million people for the Islamic system in Iran," Ahmadinejad said in a cabinet session.

February 9th, 2009 TEHRAN - More than 100 foreign ambassadors and representatives have attended a celebration to mark 30 years of Iran's Islamic Revolution, the official IRNA news agency reported Tuesday. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki lauded the diplomats for participating in the celebration Monday with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the report said.

February 9th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tuesday said his country was ready for dialogue with the US provided the talks were based on mutual respect and conducted in a fair atmosphere, the official IRNA news agency reported. 'Iranian nation welcomes true changes; Iranian nation is ready for dialogue in a fair atmosphere and mutual respect,' he said at a rally organised in Tehran's Azadi (liberty) Square to mark the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolution in Iran.

February 9th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that Iran is ready to talk in 'fair atmosphere' with the US. Ahmadinejad made the remarks in a speech marking the 30th anniversary of the victory of Iran's Islamic Revolution.

February 3rd, 2009 TEHRAN - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has complimented Iranian scientists for their success in sending the first domestically-produced satellite into orbit, IRNA reported. In a message Tuesday in response to a letter from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Khamenei expressed appreciation for the efforts of Iranian officials and scientists 'for their efforts which made such a praiseworthy move possible'.

January 30th, 2009 TEHRAN - Ten days of fastivities began in Iran Saturday to mark the 30th anniversary of Islamic revolution and the homecoming of the country's revolutionary father Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after 15 years of exile. School bells across the country rang Saturday morning to mark the return of Khomeini who led the revolution to overthrow the shah, who ruled Iran for almost four decades, the official IRNA news agency reported.

January 21st, 2009 TEHRAN - A three-kilometre-long painting will be created to mark the 30th victory anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution, IRNA news agency reported. The long painting will feature different subjects of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.