Iranians burn U.S. flags to mark 1979 embassy takeover

John Bacon | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Iranians chant 'Death to America' to mark embassy seizure Chanting "Death to America" and burning the US flag, thousands of Iranians join protests marking the 36th anniversary of the seizure of Washington's embassy, with many gathered right outside the former US embassy in Tehran. Video provided by AFP

Thousands of demonstrators in Tehran burned flags and chanted anti-U.S. slogans Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the U.S. Embassy seizure in 1979.

Iranians staged massive rallies nationwide to commemorate 36 years since the takeover, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

"We consider the U.S. a Great Satan and we believe that fighting the arrogant powers is logical," the demonstrators said in a statement.

Aban 13, the Iranian calendar equivalent of Nov. 4, is a national holiday marking the takeover of what the Iranian government calls the "Den of Espionage."

Thousands of students and others marched from the University of Tehran to the premises of the former embassy in Taleqani Street in Tehran, IRNA reported.

The rallies came a day after Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei claimed the U.S. still wants to oust the Iranian government, despite a recent nuclear deal between the two nations and other world powers.

"The reality is that the U.S. objectives vis-a-vis the Islamic Republic of Iran have not changed at all and if they can, they will not hesitate a moment to annihilate the Islamic Republic," Khamenei said Tuesday in Tehran. Khamenei, however, also explained that "death to America" chants and slogans are not literally calling for death to the American people.

“It goes without saying that the slogan does not mean death to the American nation — this slogan means death to the U.S. policies, death to arrogance,” he said.

Iran's FARS News Agency said the protesters Wednesday also chanted support for Khamenei.

"Iranian people from all walks of life, including school and university students, took to the streets to mark the anniversary of the U.S. embassy takeover in 1979 and commemorate the National Day of Campaign against Global Arrogance and the National Student Day in massive rallies," FARS reported.

In 1979, the embassy was overrun less than a year after an Islamic coup toppled the Shah of Iran. A protest demanding the return of the shah to face charges turned violent, with protesters spilling into the embassy and taking 52 Americans hostage.

An attempt to rescue the hostages in April 1980 turned into tragedy when two helicopters crashed, killing eight U.S. servicemembers and one Iranian civilian. The 444-day hostage crisis ended with their release on Jan. 20, 1981, the day Ronald Reagan was sworn into office for his first presidential term.