Revolution remembered
Cabinet ministers, MPs and diplomats joined Iranian Ambassador Rasoul Movahedian to mark the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. There was a large media presence as journalists gathered to observe any signs that Iran would reciprocate President Barack Obama’s offer and “unclench its fist”.
In his speech, Ambassador Movahedian said the Islamic Revolution had marked a break from “a brutal dictatorship” allowing the Iranian people to achieve their “lofty goals of independence, freedom and democracy”.
He said Iran saw itself as “an anchor of peace” in a region of “complex conflicts”. Alluding to the more conciliatory tone from the White House, he said “new positions and visions” were welcome, especially at a time of financial crisis and opened the way to a “common approach to a more peaceful world.”