At least 10,000 Iranians protested outside the former U.S. embassy in Tehran to celebrate the seizure of the building and the capture of U.S. hostages in 1979.
On November 4, 1979, Iranians seized the building, taking 52 hostages and holding them captive for 444 days. On November 4, 2013, Iranians gathered to protest, fueled in part by anger “among Iranians at President Hassan Rouhani’s recent moves to reopen dialogue with the West.”
According to NBCNews, smoke from burning U.S. and Israeli flags filled the air during the protests. As the flags burned, the crowd chanted, “Death to America.”
Reporters covering the protest were issued press credentials bearing the phrase “down with the U.S.A.”
Some of the protesters told NBC News they took part in the demonstrations because “they did not trust the U.S.” and did not want to see the Iranian government develop a closer relationship with them.
Two days before the protests took place, “an editorial by conservative newspaper Kayhan” warned that the U.S. wants to use nuclear negotiations “to trick the Islamic Republic.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.
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