Happy "Death to America" Day in Iran

By Rick Moran

Celebrating the 28th anniversary of one of the most egregious violations of international law since the end of World War, the people of Iran gathered outside of the former US Embassy in Tehran - still the sovereign territory of the United States - to mark its takeover by Khomeneists and the kidnapping of American citizens:

TEHRAN, Iran — Thousands of Iranians nationwide demonstrated Sunday to celebrate the 28th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy by militant students, state television reported.

Demonstrators in the capital, Tehran, including elementary school students, gathered outside the former U.S. Embassy, chanting anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans. They burned the two countries' flags and warned Washington to learn from the hostile incident.

The takeover, which occurred during Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, severely damaged relations between the two countries. The 52 Americans who were held hostage during the crisis were returned after 444 days, but the U.S. cut off diplomatic ties with Iran to protest the incident.

State television showed video footage of the takeover Sunday and images of the Americans who had been held hostage.

The usual chants of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" were heard all over the country. This is not unusual since most mosques in the country end their Friday services with these chants every week.

The embassy itself, by treaty, tradition, and international law still a part of the United States, has been turned into something of an anti-American museum with pictures of the hostage takeover and artifacts from that time on display.

No word whether President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is attending a reunion of radicals who masterminded the embassy takeover. The Iranian president has been identified by several former America hostages as one of the leaders of the gang that humiliated the United States by holding 52 of our fellow citizens for 444 days in 1979.

Hat Tip: Ethel Fenig