Iran commemorates on Thursday 42 years since the proclamation of the Islamic Republic and the fall of Shah Pahlevi's regime in 1979.
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In a nationwide referendum held just a few months after the victory of the revolution led by Imam Khomeini, 98 percent of the population showed that they wanted the monarchical system to change to an “Islamic Republic.”
This political decision implied important social reforms and the nationalization of oil. In foreign policy, Iran strengthened its internationalist position in defense of oppressed peoples and broke away from U.S. and British tutelage.
The United States responded with the establishment of an aggressive political and economic blockade. In April 1980, President Jimmy Carter severed diplomatic relations with Iran, canceled the validity of student visas, and banned international trade with the Persian nation.
U.S. sanctions were relaxed somewhat during Barack Obama's presidency, which participated in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a multilateral nuclear agreement that was implemented in 2016. Two years later, however, President Donald Trump again intensified his country's sanctions against the Persian nation.
For the past four decades, the U.S. economic blockade has severely curtailed Iran's development. The Persian authorities have repeatedly denounced the U.S. aggression before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the United Nations (UN).
Despite all restrictions, Iran has maintained its sovereign decisions and played an indispensable role in the construction of a multipolar world.