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Iran quietly celebrates US Embassy takeover anniversary

The Nov. 4 commemoration of the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran, coinciding this year with the Shiite holy day of Ashoura, was relatively muted, perhaps in consideration for the ongoing negotiations with the West.
EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.

Iranian students holding pictures of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stand in front of an anti U.S. mural, painted on the wall of the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran November 4, 2011. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi  (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2TLUF
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On Nov. 4, 1979, Iranian students calling themselves the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line stormed the US Embassy in Tehran. The students claimed that with the 1953 coup in mind, they were worried that the United States would attempt to plot a coup against the Islamic revolution from within the embassy.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution, expressed his support for the students, and 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days. Relations between the United States and one of its greatest allies in the region at the time took a drastic turn, marking the start of 35 years of animosity and hostility.

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