Iran marks anniversary of 1979 takeover of US Embassy

TEHRAN, Iran — Thousands of Iranians gathered connected Tehran streets Thursday for the day of the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy, chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” and burning American and Israeli flags. The embassy takeover triggered a 444-day hostage situation and interruption successful diplomatic relations that continues to this day.

The government-organized commemoration, agelong a venue for voicing anti-Western sentiment, typically draws aggravated crowds each year. Last year, authorities canceled the lawsuit owed to the still-raging coronavirus pandemic but connected Thursday, authorities TV said that 800 cities crossed Iran staged demonstrations.

Protesters hoisted an effigy of President Joe Biden wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the Star of David, drops of reddish overgarment dripping from its mouth. It wasn’t wide whether the demonstrators were trying to marque a constituent oregon were simply recycling aged props from their 2019 parade, but the figure’s mop of orangish hairsbreadth resembled that of the effigy of erstwhile President Donald Trump utilized astatine the rally 2 years ago.

In a lengthy code to the crowds, Gen. Hossein Salami, main of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, denounced the United States arsenic a “dictator-making factory” and took purpose astatine what helium called American aggression successful the region, declaring that “children of this federation (Iran) volition basal bravely against immoderate powerfulness that wants to harm their interests.”

Long-simmering tensions betwixt the U.S. and Iran person flared again successful caller months aft Iran’s predetermination of ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi, which brought hard-liners to powerfulness crossed each subdivision of authorities and stalled Tehran’s negotiations with satellite powers to revive its now-tattered 2015 atomic deal.

After months of delays, the European Union, Iran and the U.S. announced Wednesday that indirect talks to resuscitate the woody would resume connected Nov. 29 successful Vienna. In comments broadcast Thursday connected authorities TV, Raisi reiterated that Iran wants “result-oriented” atomic talks and would “stand against excessive demands which could harm our nation’s interests.”

In 2018, then-President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the landmark accord and imposed crushing sanctions, an escalation that acceptable disconnected a shadow warfare betwixt Iran and the West that has targeted commercialized shipping and roiled important Mideast waterways. The seas person witnessed a bid of hijackings and explosions, including a fatal drone onslaught earlier this twelvemonth that the U.S. blamed connected Iran.

Iran, meanwhile, offered conflicting accounts of what happened, claiming that Guard commandos had thwarted a U.S. seizure of a tanker carrying Iranian lipid successful the Gulf of Oman and freed the vessel. It aired melodramatic footage connected authorities tv but did not further explicate the incident.

In his code to the throngs extracurricular the gathering that erstwhile housed the U.S. Embassy, Salami lauded the Guard for its assault, accusing the Americans of trying “to instrumentality our oil,” and supporting “pirates.”

“We are superior successful defending our homeland,” helium declared.

Gathered Iranians waved flags and raised portraits of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the almighty commandant killed successful aboriginal January 2020 successful an American drone onslaught successful Baghdad ordered by Trump.

A ample American emblem was dispersed connected the street, forcing those marching to locomotion implicit it.

The commemoration marks the melodramatic time erstwhile hard-line Iranian pupil demonstrators overran guards and pushed into the embassy compound connected Nov. 4, 1979, enraged that President Jimmy Carter had allowed Iran’s exiled and fatally sick Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to person crab attraction successful the United States.

A fewer embassy staffers fled and hid successful the location of the Canadian ambassador to Iran earlier escaping the state with the assistance of the CIA, a communicative recounted successful the 2012 movie “Argo.”

The autumn of the U.S.-allied shah transfixed America, arsenic nightly images of blindfolded hostages played connected tv sets crossed the nation. Ultimately, arsenic Carter near office, each 52 captive American diplomats freed.