The United States and Iran once again exchanged provocations amid celebrations of a pivotal episode of the 1979 Islamic Revolution that also marked the end of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden vowed to “liberate Iran” in a speech at a rally near San Diego, California. “They will be freed soon,” he added, addressing protesters who held up posters in support of the wave of protests that has been mobilizing the Middle Eastern country – the biggest demonstration of opposition to the regime in years.
His Iranian counterpart, hardline Ebrahim Raisi, responded to the statement in a televised address the following day. “Iran was liberated 43 years ago,” he told the American, referring to the November 4, 1979 seizure of the US embassy in Tehran.
Radical students led the invasion, which came months after the overthrow of US-backed Shah Mohamed Reza Pahlavi. At the time, they kidnapped 52 employees and kept them in captivity for 444 days. The American president at the time, Jimmy Carter, even ordered a military operation to free the hostages in April 1980, but it failed – they were not released until January 20, 1981.
The incident earned a holiday to call its own, “National Day Against Global Arrogance”, celebrated in rallies across the country on Friday. In images of the demonstrations broadcast by state broadcasters, tens of thousands of people appear singing the song “Death to America” and schoolchildren holding up posters in support of the embassy takeover.
The pro-regime demonstrations contrast with the violence of the repression of the protests that exploded in the country a month and a half ago, with the death of the Kurdish Mahsa Amini, 22, in the custody of the authorities. The young woman had been arrested by the moral police during a trip to Tehran for misusing the hijab, the Islamic headscarf.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
