Iran has marked the 38th anniversary of the massacre of protesters in Tehran by the country�s former US-backed regime.

People in the capital gathered in the Martyrs� Square, formerly known as Jaleh square, on Wednesday to commemorate those who lost their lives during a landmark protest.

On September 8, 1978, Iranians�defied a curfew to take to the streets, demanding an end to the rule of Mohammad�Reza Shah.

Troops�surrounded the protesters and opened machine-gun fire on them, leaving hundreds of them�dead.

The event, falling on Shahrivar 17 on the Persian calendar,�has come to be known as the�"Black Friday" and�a symbol of resistance against repression.

It touched off�a series of protests�which led to the overthrow of the Pahlavi regime a�few months later.

The unrest following the massacre forced the Shah to leave Iran in January 1979, ushering in�the Islamic Revolution of Iran led by Imam Khomeini a month later.

"All these people are here � to once again pledge allegiance to those who lost their lives for the victory of the Islamic Revolution,� a�participant at the Wednesday�ceremony told Press TV.

�The victories achieved after Shahrivar 17th were all the results of martyrs� sacrifices,� he said.

By Press TV