Pro-government rallies held in Iran

“For decades, Iranians invested heavily in the idea promised by reformist leaders that things would change,” says Shadi Shar, an Iranian human rights lawyer. “But nothing happened ... The message now is loud and clear, the Islamic Republic itself must go.” Former presidents Hassan Rouhani and Mohammad Khatami tried in the past to bring Iran closer to the West, lessen social restrictions and bring more democratic freedoms, though these efforts largely failed.