TEHRAN - Tens of thousands of demonstrators packed the streets outside the former US embassy in Tehran in the biggest anti-US rally in years, a show of support for hard-line opponents of President Hassan Rouhani's outreach to Washington. 

Crowds of Iranians shouted "death to America" as they marked the 34th anniversary of the takeover of the city's US embassy, which led to 52 Americans being held hostage for months.

Protesters waved anti-US banners, chanting "death to America" and "death to Israel", while burning US and Israeli flags. 

Effigies of the US president, Barack Obama, his secretary of state John Kerry and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, could be seen held aloft by protesters. 

The protests were reported to be the biggest in years, with tens of thousands in attendance.

TEHRAN, Iran - In a rare move, Iranian officials said they will investigate the jailhouse death of a blogger, after the death drew condemnation from around the world.

Australia has joined the list of countries that have warned the Israeli regime against any military strike on Iran, a report says.
According to Israeli Haaretz newspaper, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr(right photo), in a phone conversation with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman, has voiced Canberra’s opposition to an attack on Iran.

• “More and more Western countries are joining a growing list of countries who are applying heavy international pressure on Israel to prevent it from attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities. The latest voice is that of the new Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr,” the report said.
• The Australian minister has warned Lieberman that “an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities will have serious consequences.”
• “Our position is very clear -- we counsel Israel against taking military action apart from any other consideration. It is not in the interest of Israel,” Carr said, adding that a military operation was still only a “hypothetical solution.”
• The US and the EU say Iran is trying to weaponize its nuclear technology and have used the allegation as a pretext to impose sanctions against Tehran, while the Israeli regime has publicly engaged in making threats of military strikes against Iran.
• Washington has also made repeated threats of keeping its military “options on the table” against the Islamic Republic in case America’s numerous economic and trade sanctions against the Iranian nation fails to force the country to abandon its nuclear energy program.
• Iranian officials, meanwhile, have vowed a crushing response to any military strike against the country, warning that any such measure would lead to a major war that will spread beyond the Middle East region.

In an address on the occasion of Nowruz (Iranian new year) last week, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei reiterated that the Iranian nation will retaliate in kind to any possible attack against the country by the US or the Israeli regime.
“We do not possess a nuclear weapon and we will not build one, but we will defend ourselves against any aggression, whether by the US or the Zionist regime, at the same level,” the Leader said.

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani says the Holocaust is "none of Iran's business" as the country prepares for direct negotiations with the US.
When asked about the Holocaust on Saturday, Larijani said, "As far as this issue is concerned, there are several standpoints but it is none of our business."
He added that it was "unfortunate" that the evaluation of the Holocaust had been made a taboo, the Etemad Melli daily reported Sunday.
This comes as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's fascination with the topic has cost the country dearly.
Since he took office in August 2005, he has publicly doubted the dimensions of the Holocaust, saying it should be open to debate and research.
"The West has given more significance to the myth of the genocide of the Jews, even more than God, religion, and the prophets," President Ahmadinejad said in 2005.
For such remarks and his continued criticism of Israeli crimes against Palestinians, President Ahmadinejad has been accused of anti-Semitism as well as having plans to destroy Israel.
President Ahmadinejad's stance toward the Holocaust and Israel prompted the former Bush administration to adopt a harsh policy toward Tehran.
The new administration of President Barack Obama, however, has offered to review its policies should Iran "unclench" its fist.
Source: Etemad Melli Daily

Head of the UN nuclear watchdog Mohamed ElBaradei has welcomed US President Barack Obama for seeking to open direct talks with Iran. "President Obama has said he is ready to speak to Iran without preconditions. This is the way to go. It is long overdue," ElBaradei said at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday. He also said that previous US policy on Iran was a "total failure", urging the beginning of talks between both sides without any "preconditions".
Western countries accuse Tehran of working toward obtaining atomic bombs. Iran categorically rejects the allegations, insisting the country's nuclear facilities are regularly monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Iran has also been urged to suspend its uranium enrichment activities in exchange for certain economic incentives. Iranian officials say they are open to talks but will not accept any precondition such as halting nuclear activities.
In an apparent shift from the Bush administration's policy on Iran, President Obama has promised to engage in direct dialogue with Iranian officials.
In a Monday interview, President Obama said that it was "important" to the new US administration "to be willing to talk to Iran".
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday responded to this message by welcoming the idea of change but said that the Obama administration should move to adopt "real change" rather than a mere shift in tactics.
ElBaradei also called on Iran to answer "technical questions" over its nuclear program to remove any misunderstanding.
Iran says it has answered all questions from the IAEA which has so far confirmed the country's non-diversion toward nuclear weapons program.
The UN nuclear watchdog, which is responsible for monitoring Iran's nuclear activities, inspects the country's facilities on a regular basis.
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