Amid renewed global scrutiny, Iran reflects on defining moments that shaped its revolutionary identity, invoking the past to reinforce its stance in current geopolitical disputes.
Iran is commemorating two landmark occasions of its revolutionary history, namely the 36th death anniversary of founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Seyed Ruhollah Khomeini and a fateful protest in 1963 to the pro-west policies at the time the dispute with the western countries over Tehran’s nuclear enrichment has come to a gridlock.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in statements at the annual congregation on Wednesday to mark the anniversaries hailed achievements of the 1979 Islamic Revolution particularly Iran’s nuclear program and said the ‘zero enrichment’ demand by the US and its allies are 100 percent against the revolution’s ideals of independence and national interests.
Sixty-two years ago today, the protest led by Ayatollah Khomeini in the religious city of Qom against the policies of Shah (King) Mohammadreza Pahlavi (1941-1979) was crack-downed followed by sending him to exile to Turkey, Iraq and France.
In the forty-six years after his victorious return 14 years later in February 1979, the pro- and anti-revolutionary camps have expressed clashing views on the pre- and post-revolutionary Iran.
While supporters of the revolution in Iran are highlighting shah’s liberal policies which ran contrary the Islamic teachings and traditions as well as its strategic partnership with the US and western countries at peak of Cold War in 1960-1970s, the revolution’s opponents have been focusing on the economic and foreign policy achievements as well as the cultural openness during his reign.
The western media documentaries are rife with depicting a rosy picture of the monarchy system in Iran and how it promoted individual freedoms domestically and took side against the former Soviet Union in its regional and international policies.
However, the pro-revolution works regard these developments as demerits of shah arguing that he did not tolerate political openness despite of the cultural and economic freedoms and also jeopardized the country’s independence by joining the western camp during the Cold War tensions.
In the meantime, it appears that majority of the media works on the contemporary history of Iran fail to provide a balanced root-cause analysis on why shah at the long last decided to go to a self-imposed exile after 37 years in power.
It is an irony of history that Tehran’s nuclear program over which it is today at loggerheads with the west was founded prior to the Islamic Revolution which ousted shah.
The Islamic Republic says the program is for peaceful ends including the generation of power and medical research purposes and has rejected demands for halting the uranium enrichment capability as it redline.
Today, the Islamic Republic is marking the anniversary of the protest to the policies of the monarchical system back in the 1960s, citing the enrichment capacity as an exemplary instance of political independence which could not be gained if the country was run by a different government in Tehran.
Ahead of the IAEA meeting in Vienna, Iran’s foreign minister reaffirmed the country’s refusal to halt uranium enrichment and warned Europe against seeking renewed UN sanctions, calling such efforts a “major strategic mistake.”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed bilateral cooperation and regional connectivity in a phone call on June 4, ahead of Eid al-Adha.
Iran and Uzbekistan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation in transit and logistics infrastructure, marking a significant step in strengthening regional trade routes.
Iran and Türkiye are aiming to boost their bilateral trade to $30 billion annually through stronger cooperation in transport, customs, and infrastructure.
Iran’s supreme leader dismissed a key U.S. demand to halt uranium enrichment but did not close the door on further negotiations, as nuclear talks continue amid rising regional tensions.
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OpenAI is challenging a court order that requires it to indefinitely preserve ChatGPT output data in an ongoing copyright lawsuit filed by The New York Times, arguing that the mandate risks violating user privacy.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan extended greeting to the Republic of Azerbaijan and its people on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, in a message posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Bangladesh's national elections will be held in the first half of April 2026, the country's de facto prime minister, Muhammad Yunus, said on Friday.
A groundbreaking discovery about the mysterious Oort cloud, the outermost region of our solar system, has emerged from the creation of the American Museum of Natural History's new Hayden Planetarium show, "Encounters in the Milky Way."
As peace talks progress, voices from Yerevan, Tbilisi, and Baku reveal hopes, concerns, and expectations for a future shaped by trade, trust, and generational change in the South Caucasus.
A bridge collapse in the Vygonichsky district of Russia’s Bryansk region, near the Ukrainian border, caused a train derailment and a traffic accident early Sunday, killing at least seven people and leaving 30 injured, according to emergency services.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has confirmed it carried out a third targeted attack against the Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, early Tuesday morning, marking a new escalation in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
A strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook Japan’s Hokkaido prefecture early Monday, causing no reported injuries or damage, and no tsunami warning was issued, officials confirmed.
Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ended abruptly in Istanbul on Monday, lasting just over an hour amid mounting tensions following a major Ukrainian drone strike on Russian strategic bombers and renewed pressure from the U.S. for a breakthrough.
Global investors remained wary on Friday after a closely watched phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping failed to deliver concrete progress on trade. Chinese markets reflected the cautious sentiment, with modest declines across key indices.
Uzbekistan secured a place at the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history, earning a landmark qualification following a 0-0 draw with the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Azerbaijan marked its National Day at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, with a cultural celebration that highlighted the country’s heritage, innovation, and growing global partnerships. The event took place at Azerbaijan’s national pavilion, which has become one of the most visited at the exhibition since
OpenAI is challenging a court order that requires it to indefinitely preserve ChatGPT output data in an ongoing copyright lawsuit filed by The New York Times, arguing that the mandate risks violating user privacy.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan extended greeting to the Republic of Azerbaijan and its people on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, in a message posted on X (formerly Twitter).
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently held a significant phone call with his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, during which China conveyed strong positions on the Taiwan issue and NATO's role in the Asia-Pacific, alongside broader discussions on trade and bilateral relations
OpenAI is challenging a court order that requires it to indefinitely preserve ChatGPT output data in an ongoing copyright lawsuit filed by The New York Times, arguing that the mandate risks violating user privacy.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan extended greeting to the Republic of Azerbaijan and its people on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, in a message posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Bangladesh's national elections will be held in the first half of April 2026, the country's de facto prime minister, Muhammad Yunus, said on Friday.
A groundbreaking discovery about the mysterious Oort cloud, the outermost region of our solar system, has emerged from the creation of the American Museum of Natural History's new Hayden Planetarium show, "Encounters in the Milky Way."
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