Iran marks anniversary of US embassy seizure

Thousands of people have participated in an anti-Israel and anti-US rally in the Iranian capital of Tehran. The rally marked the anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran by Iranian students 32 years ago. Demonstrators gathered in front of the former U.S. embassy, now referred to as the "Den of Espionage," carrying flags and banners and chanting slogans against the United States and Israel. The demonstrators condemned the Western-imposed sanctions against Iran, saying that they still consider the United States as the country's main enemy. Friday's gathering ended with a call for resistance against the U.S. and Western policies against the Islamic Republic. The United States cut diplomatic ties with Iran on April 7, 1980, after Iranian students seized the U.S. embassy and captured some 60 U.S. diplomats the previous year. Over the course of the hostage crisis, 52 of the diplomats were held in captivity for 444 days.