Iran commemorates Islamic Republic Day

Iran is marking the 37th anniversary of a referendum in which Iranians overwhelmingly voted for the establishment of the Islamic Republic following the fall of the US-backed Pahlavi regime.

In a landmark two-day referendum held on March 30-31, 1979, more than 98.2 percent of eligible Iranians voted “yes” to the establishment of an Islamic republic in the country.

It came as the popular motto marking the days after the 1979 Islamic Revolution was “Independence, Freedom and the Islamic Republic” on every corner.

Since then, the nation annually celebrates Farvardin 12 on the Iranian calendar year as the Islamic Republic Day.

The Islamic Revolution, led by late Imam Khomeini, culminated in the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and put an end to 2,500 years of monarchic rule in Iran.