Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in cities across Iran, this Sunday, to mark the 39th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

In the capital, Tehran, they gathered on the central Azadi – or Freedom – Square. The flag-waving crowd chanted slogans against the United States and Israel.

The rallies commemorate the ousting of the U.S. backed Iranian shah, by followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini, in 1979.

Speaking to the crowd, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for unity, after a series of protests, last month, against the government.

To discuss:

• Dorothy Parvaz is a Global Policy reporter with ThinkProgress.
• Mohsen Milani is a professor of politics, at the University of South Florida.
• Trita Parsi is founder and president of the National Iranian American Council

For more:

What is the legacy of Iran's Islamic revolution and how does it affect Iranian society more than 3 decades later? https://t.co/xJhgKhFsOq pic.twitter.com/UYWX0gCnNF

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 12, 2018

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called for a "year of unity" as Iran marks the 39th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

The celebrations come just weeks after protests calling for changes in government policy https://t.co/qPAugsQpxb pic.twitter.com/LROjAttDiW

— DW News (@dwnews) February 11, 2018