Iran marks US embassy take-over

Iranians from all walks of life are holding nationwide rallies marking the 32nd anniversary of the 1979 take-over of the US embassy in Tehran, dubbed the ‘den of espionage,’ by revolutionary students that vowed allegiance to Islamic principles set forth by the revered founder of the Islamic Revolution Imam Ruhollah Khomeini, Press TV reports.

In the capital Tehran, people have taken to the streets since early hours of Friday morning to take part in the mass rallies commemorating the prominent occasion, known in Iran as “13th of Aban,” and the “Student Day.” Aban is the eighth month of the Iranian calendar.

Several guests from other countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya and Bahrain are also participating in the ceremonies and mass rallies.

This year, the main agenda of Iran’s Student Day rallies is demonstrating solidarity with the popular Islamic Awakening uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa as well as the global anti-capitalism movement of “Occupy Wall Street.”

On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian revolutionary university students that described themselves as ‘Students Following the Line of Imam [Khomeini],’ taking over the embassy in the early hours of the day.

The students insisted that the compound had turned into a hub of active espionage and scheming aimed at overthrowing the nascent Islamic Republic establishment, which emerged with over 98 percent of affirmative votes in an national referendum following the victory of the Islamic revolution that overthrew a powerful US-backed dictatorial monarchy.

Imam Khomeini later hailed the student effort as ‘a second revolution’ that of a greater significance.