Iranians mark US embassy takeover with massive nationwide rallies

Millions of Iranians have taken to the streets across the country to commemorate the anniversary of the US embassy takeover, also known as Den of Espionage, which is named the National Day against the Global Arrogance.

The mass rallies kicked off in the capital, Tehran, at 09:00 a.m. local time (0530 GMT) and in some 800 cities and towns across the country.

Every year, demonstrators in Tehran gather outside the former headquarters of the US embassy, chanting “Down with the US” and “Down with Israel,” Washington’s closest ally, to voice their indignation about the actions of what is known in Iran as “Global Arrogance.”

On the demonstration routes, a large number of stalls and pavilions are set up to depict the crimes and atrocities that the West, particularly the United States, has carried out against the Islamic Republic and other countries across the world.

Forty-four years ago on November 4, Iranian students took over the American embassy in Tehran, also known in Iran as the “Den of Espionage,” less than a year after the Islamic Revolution toppled the US-backed Pahlavi dictatorship in 1979.

The occasion was then named the National Day of the Fight against Global Arrogance, which also marks National Student Day.

Every year on the 13th day of the Iranian month of Aban, the Iranian nation, particularly the students, commemorate the National Day of the Fight against Global Arrogance by staging rallies across the country, calling on all Muslims and freedom-seeking nations to resist against arrogant powers and not to succumb to their bullying.

The 13th of Aban has turned into a symbol of resistance and fierce fight against the West’s imperialism. The day is reminiscent of the Iranian students’ vigilance in dealing with the US’s threats.

From a global perspective, the 13th of Aban is a day on which Iranians showed that through reliance on God they can withstand any form of hegemonic power and achieve victory; a mindset that has become a role model for all freedom-seekers around the world.