Thousands of people gathered in Tehran on Sunday night to show support for the government, with many voicing strong distrust of the United States. Many said they were bracing for more hardship, but remained defiant.
Some in the crowd said Washington had failed to honour past commitments. The mood reflected growing anger as the conflict enters its eighth week.
Earlier, Iran had rejected fresh peace talks with the U.S. State media said the decision followed what officials described as “excessive demands” and “unrealistic expectations” from Washington.
Iran also pointed to the ongoing naval blockade, calling it a breach of a ceasefire, according to Iran's official IRNA news agency wrote.
The move came hours after President Donald Trump said he was sending envoys to Pakistan for talks and warned of military action if Iran did not accept U.S. terms.
Rally participant Masoumeh Ali Mohammadi said, “The United States has so far honoured none of the promises it made to us and none of the agreements it signed with us. As a result, we expect that although the diplomatic track must in any case move forward, we should proceed with complete distrust toward this America that has so far fulfilled none of its commitments.”
“We are not afraid of war. Even if not just one attack, but continuous attacks are carried out against our country, we will certainly move forward with greater strength and authority. But in my view, given the situation as it is developing, the United States and Israel have no option but to surrender to Iran’s demands,” he added.
Another participant Hamidreza Heidari said, "We have negotiated before and our negotiations did not reach any particular result. But one difference this time is that we have achievements on the battlefield. We have the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. bases are within our strike range, and in any case countries that share interests with the United States are now ultimately under our pressure as well.”
Negin Gholizade was at Sunday's rally and said “We can reach peace with this man (President Trump) only if he takes such a beating that he is forced into submission, just as he was forced into submission two weeks ago. On the very night he wanted to send us back to the Stone Age, he backed down, accepted everything we said, and agreed to it.”
The war, which began on 28 February, has had a heavy human and economic cost. Thousands have been killed in strikes on Iran and during Israel’s parallel offensive in Lebanon.
The fighting has also shaken global energy markets. Disruption around the Strait of Hormuz has pushed oil prices sharply higher, raising concerns about supply worldwide.
Iran has unveiled the restored mausoleum of 13th-century mystic Shams Tabrizi in the northwestern city of Khoy, with plans for a cultural tourism r...
Georgia is enjoying one of its biggest and highest-quality grape harvests since independence. By 6 October, growers in the country's main wine-...
Ukrainian drone strikes have hit two Yandex data centres in Russia on consecutive days, disrupting digital services as Kyiv intensifies attacks on ...
Leaders of countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have agreed to hold coordinated population censuses around 2030. They took the decision at the CIS Council of Heads of State meeting in Awaza, Turkmenistan on Friday, media reported.
Azerbaijan and the five Central Asian states have signed two key documents at the 8th Consultative Meeting of Heads of State in Turkmenbashi, formalising a broader framework for regional cooperation in transport, trade, energy, digitalisation and security.
It started with classrooms. Too many students, not enough teachers, deteriorating buildings and growing anxiety over what comes after high school. But within weeks, a movement that began outside French lycées had spread across the country.
Britain and Israel have reached a temporary compromise over the future of the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem, easing a diplomatic dispute that had threatened to further strain relations between the two countries.
The Nobel Peace Prize 2026 will be announced on Friday, 9 October, bringing one of the world's most closely watched awards back into focus.
The leader of Yemen's Saudi-backed government announced the beginning of a major military operation against the Iran-backed Houthis on Sunday, aimed at seizing the territory under their control.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States meets seven conditions agreed under a June memorandum, as President Donald Trump signals he may soon decide whether to resume military operations against Tehran.
Governments from the Persian Gulf to the Horn of Africa are hedging against a conflict they cannot control, with contingency plans beginning to reshape trade routes, alliances and the regional map.
A supertanker which was cruising through the Strait of Hormuz was targetted by an unknown projectile off the coast of Oman, according to an Iranian news agency which said the vessel was “violating” navigation rules at the Strait of Hormuz on 1 October.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused the U.S. and Israel of seeking to foment internal divisions in Iran after failing to defeat the country militarily, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment