Iran marks 40th anniversary of US embassy takeover

The rallies started in the capital Tehran at 9:00 AM in front of the former US embassy, which is known as the “den of spies” in Iran.

Top Iranian authorities, along with millions of people, are taking part in the rallies.

On November 4, 1979, a group of university students took over the US embassy, which they believed had turned into a center of espionage, plotting to overthrow the nascent Islamic Republic, and held 52 American diplomats for 444 days.

Documents found at the political mission corroborated claims by the revolutionary students that Washington had been using the compound to hatch plots against Iran.

Anger toward America had already been growing throughout 1979 as Iran’s revolutionary government took hold, but it boiled over in October when the United States took in the ailing shah for medical treatment.

The disputes remain today amid the escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington, following the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and subsequent sanctions that have hit ordinary Iranians hard.