TEHRAN – Iranians held rallies across the country on Saturday morning to mark the takeover of the U.S. embassy, known as the “den of espionage” in Tehran 38 years ago.

The demonstrators, mostly students, staged demonstrations to express their opposition to the unabated hegemonic policies of the United States.

On November 4, 1979, a group of university students took over the U.S. embassy in Tehran, which they believed had turned into a center of espionage aimed at overthrowing the Islamic Republic, which was at its early stages of development.

Each year, Iranians rally outside the former U.S. embassy building, which is known as the “den of espionage” in Iran, to commemorate the event.

The day is also known as the Student Day and the National Day of the Fight against Global Arrogance.

The marchers, especially students, mocked U.S. President Donald Trump for using fake name for the Persian Gulf, calling on him to read “history and geography”. 

In announcing his new Iran policy on October 13, Trump used harshest words against Iran and used “Arabian Gulf” for the Persian Gulf.

Iran’s top security official says the “failed” policy of sanctions and threats against the resilient Iranian nation have proven “ineffective”. 

Demonstrators in the rallies issued a statement thanking officials for their decisive and untied position against Washington’s hostilities.

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani addressed this year’s rally in Tehran, saying Donald Trump was a “crazy individual” turning the U.S. and other countries in the “direction of suicide”.

“All the governments confirm that the American president is a crazy individual who is taking others toward the direction of suicide,” Shamkhani said, the Guardian reported.

He said Trump’s policies against Iranian people have “brought them out into the streets today,” adding that the American foreign policy had failed.

“American politicians and people are having second thoughts about their choice of president and acknowledge that the U.S. has been defeated in materializing its foreign policy,” Shamkhani said, Press TV reported.

“The U.S. has long been dealt blows by our country and our region and thus regularly bares its warmongering teeth. And when a missile is tested thousands of kilometers away, after [issuing empty] threats, all their president does is put out a tweet.”

He also said that the countries who have backed Washington’s anti-Iran stance in recent years were themselves at a loss.

“Those who either with the U.S. or on their own acted against the Islamic Republic over the past four decades... both suffer from domestic instability and have no standing in the region,” the Iranian official said.

Shamkhani also said Washington’s “failed” policy of threats and sanctions against the resilient Iranian nation have proven “ineffective”.

He added arrogant powers themselves have acknowledged that despite four decades of animosities and sanctions Iran has emerged “more powerful than before”.

The top security official also said the Iranian nation have proven the record bearer in countering U.S. plots. 

Shamkhani also said the November 4 rallies this year have turned into a scene of opposition to Trump’s anti-Iran policies.

During the rallies, a number of students staged a mock funeral procession for U.S. President Donald Trump, in a symbolic move to protest Trump’s aggressive stance against the Islamic Republic.

On Thursday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the United States is Iran’s “number one enemy” and that backing down in the face of the U.S. bullying will make it more “pushy” and “brazen”.

“Backing down against the Americans will make them pushy and brazen; therefore, the only way is confrontation and resistance,” the Leader told a large number of students.

MH/PA