Why was US embassy captured?

In 1979, the United States which has been behind the overthrow of legal governments in Berlin, Santiago, Athena, Prague and Tehran through its embassies planned to down the newly-established Islamic Republic in Iran.

Five years before the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the US Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, launched a coup in Chile to overthrow Salvador Allende government. The plot was implemented successfully.

27 years after the coup, CIA published documents which revealed that the US embassy in Chile was behind the plot and the plan of the coup had been drawn up by the American officials including Henry Kissinger, Zbigniew Brezezinski and the then US ambassador in the country.

Only five years after the Chile coup, in December 1979, the US government disappointed by the Pahlavi regime appointed Heiser and Gast to launch a similar coup in Iran.

The US embassies which were behind the overthrow of the legal governments in Berlin, Santiago, Athena, Prague and Tehran planned to down the newly-established Islamic Republic in Iran.

According to the documents, staffs of the US embassy in Tehran were violating the international protocols by trying to establish connections with opponents of the Islamic Republic.

Illegal measures of the US embassy in Tehran prompted Iranian students to capture the den of espionage and bring an end to their plots.

The late Imam Khomeini approved the move and assured that their decision to capture the embassy was right by calling it a second revolution.

Documents recovered from the US embassy unveiled the secret relations of several Iranian personalities with US and showed they were active in Iran as spies.

US has a long record of interference in the Iranian history.

In November 4, 1964, Imam Khomeini (PBUH) was sent to exile for his protests over a bill by the deposed Shah regime called ‘capitulation bill’ which would grant US nationals in Iran immunity over any offenses.

On January 26, 1963, series of measures were adopted by the Shah under the US orders (in the framework of Kennedy’s “Alliance for Progress” plan) which in many ways destroyed the economic basis of the country. Imam Khomeini urged the nation to protest the move.

The national protest which began under the leadership of Imam Khomeini (upon whom be peace) alarmed America who realized that this movement would lead to continuous, bloody revolution against the United States and its protégé, the regime in Iran.

The realities prompted the US administration to decide to revive an abandoned Capitulation Bill and establish “consular judicial rights” in Iran so that US personnel could, with peace of mind, directly protect the Shah’s throne and their interests in this part of the world. They were also immune from any legal prosecution.

The approval of the Capitulation Bill by the Senate and the Parliament was never really made public. The media, under government censorship, refrained from divulging it.

A short time later, an internal parliamentary publication containing the full text of speeches and discussions by members of Parliament and the Prime Minister on this matter reached Imam Khomeini, disturbing and upsetting him. The news of Imam’s distress gradually spread. Many people went to Qum to discover the reason for his concern.

October 26, 1964, the day of the anniversary of Hazrat Fatima’s birthday and the birthday of Imam Khomeini himself, arrived. A deluge of people swept into Qum from all over the country to listen to Imam’s speech.

As he spoke his voice rose:

“Gentlemen, I warn you of danger!
Iranian army, I warn you of danger!
Iranian politicians, I warn you of danger!
Iranian merchants, I warn you of danger!
‘Ulama of Iran, maraji’ of Islam, I warn you of danger!

Scholars, religious students! Centers of religious learning, Najaf, Qum, Mashhad, Tehran, Shiraz! I warn you of danger!…..
If our country is under American occupation then tell us….
All our troubles today are caused by this America. All our troubles today are caused by this Israel. Israel itself derives from America.”

At the end of his epic speech, Imam Khomeini deprecated the approval of the bill by the representatives in the two houses of the Parliament.

This passionate, revolutionary discourse was, until that day, without precedent in the history of the movement, and it shook not only the foundations of the Shah’s despotic rule but also the White House in Washington.

In this speech, Imam Khomeini made clear his categorical and uncompromising stance against Eastern and Western blocks and confirmed the “No East, No West” policy which he adhered to until the end of his life.

He illustrated his position vis-a-vis imperialist governments in this way: “America is worse than Britain, Britain is worse than America and the Soviet Union is worse than both of them. Each one is worse than the other; each one is more abominable than the other. But today we are concerned with this malicious entity which is America. Let the American President know that in the eyes of the Iranian nation, he is the most repulsive member of the human race today because of the injustice he has imposed on our Muslim nation.”

In addition to this historic speech, Imam Khomeini issued a declaration which revealed more fully the regime’s affiliation to the US and the latter’s interference in the internal affairs of Iran.

On the night of November 3, 1964, hundreds of commandos and armed paratroopers surrounded Imam’s house in Qum, took him and transferred him to Tehran. On November 4 the leader of the movement was expelled from his country for the ‘crime’ of defending the independence of his homeland and protest against the US interference.

Fourteen years after Imam’s expulsion from Iran (November 4, 1978), tens of thousands of high school and university students in the grounds of Tehran University and the surrounding streets shook Tehran with the cries of “Death to the Shah,” “Long Live Khomeini” and “Death to America.”

The US-backed army clamped down on the protests and many were martyred however the revolution ran its course to victory on February 11, 1979 (Bahman 22, 1357 AHS).

The revolution released the anti-arogance energy of the masses and provided the necessary motivation for the capture of a premises which had long violated the rights of the Iranian nation and trampled on their interests.

The November 4, the day of capture of the den of espionage has been called day of combat against world arrogance in the Iranian calendar.

Every year, thousands of students and other people gather before the premises of the former embassy in protest at the US hostile policy against the Islamic Republic and its historical interference in the Iranian affairs.