MESOP Iran Daily: Islamic Revolution’s Anniversary Overshadowed by Syria / MORE ABOUT QASSEM SOLEIMANI

by Scott Lucas – eaworldview – Iran’s regime marked the 37th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution on Thursday, but the ceremonies had to fight for attention alongside a Syrian crisis in which Tehran is deeply involved.State media put out the ritual declaration that “millions of Iranians [went] to the streets in cities and towns across the country” and noted the speech of President Rouhani in Tehran’s Azadi Square.

Declaring that other powers are now “admitting mistakes” in dealing with Iran, Rouhani said, “They are now willing to interact and have good relations with the great Iranian nation.”He said that, through the implementation of the July 2015 nuclear agreement with the 5+1 Powers, the Islamic Republic managed to “defeat the Iranophobia project” and to show the world that alleged Iranian threats to the global peace and security are “baseless”:Today…the world’s public opinion has completely accepted that the propaganda campaign of the Zionists and the global arrogance of the US against the Iranian nation has been a lie and devoid of truth. The Iranian people are a peace-seeking people.

THE PRESENCE OF SYRIA

However, Rouhani’s speech has already been overtaken by attention to Syria, where Iran has put in more commanders and troops to accompany its political and economic support of the Assad regime.Three of the top five stories in Press TV’s Iran section are devoted to Thursday’s international talks on the crisis, in which Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was involved. Zarif conferred with the Assad regime’s representative, Ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Ja’afari, and told the 17-nation conference that “negotiations need to be pursued seriously“.

Press TV also pointedly mentioned the presence of General Qassem Soleimani, the head of the elite Qods Force of the Revolutionary Guards, in the anniversary march.

Soleimani was reportedly wounded in fighting near Aleppo city in Syria in November. Rumors swirled of the extent of his injuries, and even of his death, as Iranian media tried to disprove the claims with unverified photographs of the commander.A picture on Press TV this morning shows Soleimani in civilian attire on a Tehran street:Since October 7, Iranian media have acknowledged the deaths of 187 troops in fighting in Syria, including at least 10 commanders. More than 50 of the casualties have occurred since February 1, amid a prominent role for Iranian units in an offensive north of Aleppo city.