This morning, Iran celebrated the 40th anniversary of the 1979 student takeover of the US embassy and start of the 444 day holding of 52 US national hostages.
Top Iranian authorities, along with hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the former US Embassy in Tehran chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”, with many burning American and Israeli flags.
Speaking in front of the former US Embassy, the former Prime Minister of Iran, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, referred to America as a “scorpion” and said the “era of imposing pressure with zero expense is over”.
A billboard at Tehran’s Vali-e Asr Square, often used by hard-liners to highlight their political views, showed people waving flags from around the world and cheering as an American flag burned. A caption on it read: “We are the superpower.”
Iranian state media reported that an additional 1,000 similar demonstrations were held across the country, with millions of Iranian citizens taking part.
To mark the 40th anniversary, Iranian parliamentarians approved an anti-US motion to add new chapters in school and university textbooks that detail US ‘criminal’ activities against the Iranian nation and human rights, with reports of parliamentarians themselves chanting ‘Death to America”.
On Sunday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, renewed a ban on talks with the United States, describing them as “the enemy”.
Whilst the commemoration of the embassy takeover occurs annually, this year’s demonstrations take place as Iran’s regional allies in Iraq and Lebanon face widespread protests. Overnight, the Iranian Consulate in Karbala (a holy city for Shiites), Iraq, saw a mob attack overnight where three protesters were killed and 19 wounded.
