Iranians commemorate anniversary of 1979 US embassy takeover amid post-war tensions
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Iranians on Tuesday marked the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran, the first such commemoration since the United States bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities during a 12-day war with 'Israel' in June.
On Nov. 4, 1979, Iranian students stormed the US Embassy compound, seizing dozens of hostages in a standoff that lasted more than a year and severed diplomatic relations between the two countries.
As in previous years, thousands of people gathered outside the former embassy in downtown Tehran, chanting “Death to US” and “Death to Israel.” Some participants burned American and 'Israeli' flags and hung effigies of US President Donald Trump and 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. State media reported that similar demonstrations took place in cities and towns across the country.
Missile mock-ups were displayed at the rally, with some bearing the inscription “Death to America.” Replicas of centrifuge machines used in uranium enrichment were also showcased.
Addressing the crowd, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf accused the United States and 'Israel' of killing Iranian scientists, saying the West “opposes an independent, integrated, and powerful Iran.” He also referred to the former US embassy as a “den of spies.”
The commemoration came a day after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told students that Tehran would not pursue normalization with Washington, a message echoed in banners carried by demonstrators.
The June conflict left nearly 1,100 Iranians dead, including military commanders and nuclear scientists, after 'Israeli' airstrikes and US bombings targeted Iranian nuclear sites. Iran’s retaliatory missile attacks killed 28 people in 'Israel'.
The escalation followed five rounds of negotiations between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s nuclear program. In the aftermath, Iran withdrew from International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring while maintaining a stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity, close to weapons-grade levels.
Although Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, Western governments and the IAEA contend that Tehran had an organized weapons effort until 2003.
In September, the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear activities, freezing Iranian assets abroad, halting arms deals, and restricting the country’s ballistic missile development.
The two nations have remained without formal diplomatic relations since 1979, a rupture that continues to define one of the Middle East’s most enduring geopolitical confrontations.
