Crowds mark anniversary of US embassy takeover amid tensions

THOUSANDS OF Iranians have staged a rally in Tehran marking the anniversary of the 1979 US embassy takeover as Washington restored all sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.

The crowd chanted “Down with the US”, and “Death to Israel” during yesterday’s rally in the capital, and state TV said similar demonstrations were held in other cities and towns.

On Friday, Donald Trump announced the restoration of sanctions on Iran’s shipping, financial and energy sectors, the second batch of penalties to be restored after the US president withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear agreement in May.

Iranian students stormed the embassy shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, taking 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.

Iran’s clerically-led government celebrates the embassy takeover every year as a decisive blow against the United States, which had supported the autocratic rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

The embassy compound, widely known as the “den of spies”, is now a cultural centre.

Anger and distrust over the US is surging again following Mr Trump’s decision to withdraw from landmark nuclear deal with world powers despite Tehran’s compliance with the agreement, which was negotiated under the Obama administration.

Iran is already in the grip of an economic crisis, and has seen sporadic protests in recent months as Iranian officials have tried to downplay the sanctions and their effects.

The US said the sanctions are not aimed at toppling the government, but at persuading it to radically change its policies, including its support for militant groups and its development of long-range ballistic missiles.

At a gathering on Saturday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, portrayed the sanctions as part of a long tradition of American hostility.