TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranians have begun nationwide celebrations to commemorate the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

State television on Thursday aired footage of rallies in Tehran and other cities and towns across the country, many of them in frigid winter weather conditions.

The demonstrators chanted traditional slogans against the U.S. and Israel, and the streets in many cities were decorated with anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli banners and posters

The rallies commemorate Feb. 11, 1979, when followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ousted U.S.-backed Shah Reza Pahlavi. The U.S. helped orchestrate the 1953 coup that overthrew Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, and brought Pahlavi to power.