"Negotiating with America was a big mistake that our president made. We should have not done that in the first place," said Ahmad's friend, Reza, who also talked on condition of anonymity.

"I am worried about my future and if I can find a job. I do not want to keep studying and I end up being jobless at the end," he added.

Still, he insisted the path to a booming job market is not through compromising the nuclear program with the West.

Reza and those who agree with him have had more opportunities to oppose Rouhani's foreign policy after President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal that Iran and six world powers had signed in 2015.

Despite international bodies' confirmation of Iran's commitment to the deal, Trump put up new struggles by withdrawing from the pact and resuming sanctioned on the Islamic Republic. Tensions continued after America killed the top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, leading to Iran's retaliation by targeting an American base in Iraq last month.

"The martyrdom of General Soleimani opened up the eyes of our younger generation to the political issues," said Sareh Mousavian 30, a housewife who had come to the march with her mother-in-law.

"It is our religious duty to defend our revolution, and we have to do it without America or any other country," she added.

Trying to combine the two strategies of "resistance" followed by hardliner parties versus "diplomacy" followed by reformists, Rouhani said the pathway is something in between the extremes.

"No to 'either resistance or diplomacy.' No to 'either interaction with the world or resistance.' No to 'either domestic self-sufficiency or trading with foreigners.' These are the samples of wrong dichotomies," he said.

Rouhani also said the system must embrace criticisms and freedom of speech, saying, "We might have criticisms over a decision. It is alright. There is no problem to disagree a decision. We must criticize, but we should not get passive and inactive."