Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that his country would “not yield to excessive demands” on its nuclear programme, after Tehran resumed talks with the United States. Speaking at Azadi Square in the capital Tehran, to mark the 47th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic revolution, he said, “Our country, Iran, will not yield to their excessive demands.”

“Our Iran will not yield in the face of aggression, but we are continuing dialogue with all our strength with neighbouring countries in order to establish peace and tranquillity in the region,” President Pezeshkian said, also adding that the state was ready for “any verification” of its nuclear programme and insisted it was not seeking an atomic weapon.

Iran and the United States resumed negotiations last week for the first time since the war with Israel last June, which saw the US conduct strikes on nuclear sites in Iran.

Iran wants the talks to remain centred purely on its nuclear programme, while the United States also wants the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile programme and its support for militant groups in the region to be discussed.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful, though Western countries and Israel believe it is seeking to acquire a nuclear weapon.

Every year, supporters of Iran’s leadership turn out in force to mark the anniversary of the revolution that ousted the US-backed shah in 1979.

At Azadi Square on Wednesday, an AFP correspondent saw a large security presence, bigger than in previous years. Veiled women waved the flag of the Islamic Republic and carried pictures of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran last month saw a nationwide protest movement that sparked a major crackdown, with the United States threatening military action in support of the demonstrators.

“We will disappoint our enemies”

People brandished images of Trump with the slogan “we will disappoint our enemies”, an AFP journalist said.

The protests and threat of US military action have posed a major challenge for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s number one, who took up his post for life in 1989 after the death of Khomeini.

Late Tuesday, as authorities set off fireworks to mark the event, people took to balconies in Tehran to chant slogans including “death to Khamenei” and “death to the dictator”, according to footage shared by protest monitor channels on Telegram and X, including Vahid Online and Mamlekate.

However, Vahid Online has seen scrutiny from many on X, who say that he puts fake audio over otherwise pro-government videos.

AFP said they verified three such videos posted by Mamlekate.

US-funded group Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has claimed that 6,984 people, including 6,490 protesters, were killed during the protests as authorities launched the crackdown. Meanwhile, at least 52,623 people have been arrested in the ensuing crackdown, it added.

Those arrested most recently have included figures in the reformist movement inside Iran who supported Pezeshkian’s 2024 election campaign.

The chanting of the slogans late Tuesday marked a “continuation of the nationwide protests despite the prevailing security atmosphere and widespread control measures,” HRANA said.