Iranians will mark the 36th anniversary of the US Embassy takeover in Tehran on Nov. 4. It will be the first commemoration since the July nuclear deal was announced between Iran and the world powers. Some Iranian officials and media — concerned that the two years of negotiating directly with US officials may soften the “Death to America” chant heard in the government-funded rallies — used Nov. 3 speeches to remind Iranians why the embassy was taken over and how America’s historical role in Iran has been counter to national movements toward independence.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke to college students Nov. 3, saying Iran’s fight against “arrogance” — which is a term used primarily for the United States but also applies to other world powers — is based on experience, citing the US and British-backed 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh as an example.

Mossadegh had nationalized Iranian oil in 1951, which was British-owned and operated, resulting in an economic blockade by the British. Seeking American sympathy, Mossadegh traveled to the United States in hopes that it would side with Iran against the British. According to Khamenei, this was Mossadegh’s primary mistake. “To fight the British, Mossadegh relied on America and this optimism, simplicity and negligence, preparing the ground for the successful American coup,” Khamenei said.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower eventually sided with the British in preparing to bring back Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to power. While the coup had influential domestic Iranian backers, it eventually served as a warning to future Iranian political actors for the need of independence against American and foreign interference, particularly in post-revolution Iran.