Rouhani addresses crowd in Azadi Square and minimizes the possibility of a war against Tehran. But the most radical fringes accuse him of making too many concessions to the United States.

Tehran ( AsiaNews) - Hundreds of thousands of people poured onto the streets of the Iranian capital today to celebrate the 35^th anniversary of the revolution led by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which led to the fall of the Shah and the establishment of the Islamic republic.

Addressing the crowds in Azadi Square, the new moderate Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, recalled that nuclear talks with the P5 +1 group ( the United States, Russia, Britain, France, China and Germany) will begin again next week in Vienna. He expressed hopes for an "honest and constructive" dialogue and downplayed the possibility of a military strike against Iran.

Until a few months ago that attack - from the United States and / or Israel - seemed imminent, fueled by the fear that Iran aimed to produce nuclear weapons. But in November a climate of greater openness allayed those fears the direct result of the June election of Rouhani: Tehran has agreed to reduce some activities at nuclear sites and in return, the international community has eased sanctions on an economy brought to its knees.

The easing of tension is seen as a Rouhani victory, after nearly a decade of marginalization under the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, characterized by his outright opposition and violent inectives against the U.S. and Israel.

Rouhani so far seems to have the support of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But the most radical fringes accuse the country's new president of making too many concessions to the United States.

The Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif , said that the next round of nuclear talks in Vienna will be "difficult" and that "the biggest challenge is the lack of trust".

 

• iran
• tehran
• nuclear
• talks
• rouhani
• revolution
• anniversary