Iranian Demonstrators Condemn US Policies

Huge crowds of Iranian people, mostly school and university students, staged nationwide demonstrations this morning all over the country to express their opposition to the arrogant attitudes of the enemies, particularly the US.

Demonstrators in Tehran, who were gathering in front of the former US embassy premises, said in their statement that they still view the US as the “Great Satan and the nation’s number one enemy”.

The Iranian nation “regards the ‘Death to US’ slogan as the reflection of the Islamic Republic’s anti-arrogance doctrine,” the statement said.

The statement also described “national unity and solidarity” under the guidance of Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei as the factor that would insure the Islamic Revolution, contribute to the country’s progress and would also thwart the “evil plots” hatched by the enemies of Iran.

The “National Day against Global Arrogance” has its roots in a movement by a group of Iranian students more than 30 years ago.

This year's rallies coincided with the ceremonies marking the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hossein, Shiite Muslims' third Imam and grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

On November 4, 1979, and in less than a year after the victory of the Islamic Revolution that toppled a US-backed monarchy, Iranian university students that called themselves "students following the line of (the late) Imam (Khomeini)" seized the US embassy in Tehran, which had become a center of espionage and planning to overthrow the newly established Islamic system in Iran.

The students who seized the embassy later published documents proving that the compound was indeed engaged in plans and measures to overthrow the Islamic republic.

Every year on the 13th day of the Iranian month of Aban (November 4), the Iranian nation, particularly the students, hold rallies across the country to mark the day.

In the capital city of Tehran, the rallies to mark the anniversary of the landmark move are held at the venue of the former US embassy, which is known by Iranians as “Den of Espionage”.