Families celebrate the last day of the Persian new year holidays, even as the US president vows to bomb Iran ‘back to the Stone Ages’
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenAgence France-PressePublished: 4:11am, 3 Apr 2026In a leafy Tehran park on Thursday, Iranians gathered for picnics on the final day of the Persian new year holidays, shrugging off US President Donald Trump’s threats to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages”.
The country has been at war for more than a month and Trump – who launched the conflict alongside Israel on February 28 – has vowed to strike Iran hard for another “two or three weeks”.
Powerful blasts shook the Iranian capital on Thursday.
Still, hundreds of families sat out under mild, cloudy skies, picnicking amid sweeping views of the snow-capped Alborz mountains – a postcard scene at odds with a city under regular attack.
Thursday marked the 13th and final day of the Persian new year festivities, known as Sizdah Be-dar or Nature Day. Tradition calls for spending the day outdoors to ward off bad luck.
“We must keep this ritual alive under all circumstances, even in the current situation and despite the distress we feel,” Roya Abhari, 39, said.
