Revolution Day Messages to Washington

As Iran marked the 46th anniversary of the 1979 revolution, officials articulated a unified stance of resistance toward the United States. But the coming days and weeks may reveal fissures among the regime’s ruling elites regarding the best strategic approach to President Donald J. Trump.

• February 11: Sazandegi, the official newspaper of the technocratic Kargozaran Party, prominently featured excerpts from President Masoud Pezeshkian’s Revolution Day address on its front page.
• • Quoting Pezeshkian, the newspaper reported: “Trump says he wants to negotiate, but at the same time signs a document,” referencing the presidential memorandum on Iran, “that is a conspiracy to bring the revolution to its knees. Then, he once again declares his readiness to negotiate, yet claims Iran disturbs regional security. But it is the U.S.-backed Israel that is the main source of instability by bombing the innocent people of Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and wherever it pleases.”
  • “Unity was the secret behind our success and victory … If we are together, we will be capable of solving all the problems of our country with the aid of our nation. America can only bring us to our knees in her dreams … We don’t want war. They want war and assassinated Ismail Haniyeh on my first day in office. They did so because they fear our unity and consolidation.”
• February 11: Hard-line Kayhan published an editorial claiming “tens of millions” of Iranians participated in the commemoration of the 1979 revolution.
• February 11: Quoting Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Kayhan reported:
  • What the United States means “by negotiation is capitulation, but the Iranian nation will never capitulate … Independence is the great gift of the Islamic Republic. No foreigner dares to boss the Iranian nation, or officials and leaders of Iran, around.”
• February 12: A day later, Kayhan published an editorial praising Pezeshkian’s Revolution Day address:
  • “His excellency the president responded to the excessive, arrogant, and humiliating preconditions for negotiations and honorably defended the positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran … His words reflect a deep understanding of the criminal record, deceptive nature, and unreliability of the United States when dealing with the Iranian nation. Naturally, placing hope in negotiations and expecting tangible outcomes from such talks is not a realistic approach.”
• February 12: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps mouthpiece Javan’s coverage of Pezeshkian’s Revolution Day address was limited to a short article on page two of the newspaper.

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