“Come together to help each other and disappoint enemies,” Rouhani told a rally in Tehran, urging a commitment to the “success and victory of the revolution.”
He urged opposition political parties to “give people hope.”
The anniversary comes after widespread protests in late December 2017 challenged the establishment and demanded reforms, mainly economic.
“People, at their own volition, are trying to lead the country toward progress, welfare, and security,” parliament speaker Ali Larijani said on arriving at an anniversary event in Shiraz, IRNA reported. “Their presence is a valuable support for the country’s move,” he added, urging unity.
Rouhani had earlier told reporters that the large turnout is a “response to the new US conspiracies against our nation and the Zionists’ moves in the region.”
According to IRNA, millions had come out in Tehran and across the country.
Crowds in the capital chanted the standard slogans of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
Organizers of commemoration events have focused on the country’s scientific and military achievements, including long-range ballistic missiles, Tasnim News reported.
US President Donald Trump has been a harsh critic of Tehran, threatening the nuclear deal and backing recent anti-government protests.
Commander of the Quds force, Qassem Soleimani, in a speech marking the day, said the Islamic Revolution had faced many challenges in recent years, but had successfully overcome them.
The reign of the Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi collapsed on February 11, 1979 when rebels overwhelmed forces loyal to the Shah, bringing Ayatollah Khomeini to power. The Shah had left the country for exile the month before.
The Islamic Republic has been widely condemned for its human rights record. On Sunday morning, family members and activists announced the death of an Iranian-Canadian university professor in custody in Tehran. Kavous Seyed-Emami, 63, was a sociology professor at Imam Sadeq University and environmental activist as director of the Persian Heritage Wildlife Foundation.
He had been arrested 17 days earlier. Tehran’s prosecutor’s office told Seyed-Emami’s spouse that he had committed suicide, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).
The rights organization said his family has been harassed by the authorities and expressed concern about the “rising number of deaths in Iranian prisons.”
