The story: Iran has marked the anniversary of the Nov. 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Tehran. American diplomats and staff were held hostage by Iranian students for over a year, leading Washington to sever ties with Tehran in 1980. The anniversary was commemorated with the slogan: “The Iranian nation’s resistance is the secret to the decline of the domination of America.” This comes as a number of key Iranian figures who were involved have expressed regrets over the embassy seizure.

The coverage: Top officials including President Ebrahim Raisi and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders took part in anti-US protests in the Iranian capital.

Referring to the 1953 coup plotted by Britain and the US which toppled democratically-elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq, Raisi stated on Nov. 4 that US “hostility” towards Iran stretches back over 70 years.
Speaking of the upcoming indirect Iran-US talks in Vienna on the revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Raisi asserted, “We won’t leave the negotiation table, but we resist the excessive demands that will result in the loss of the interests of the Iranian nation.” He added that Tehran seeks a “result-oriented negotiation.”
IRGC chief commander Gen. Hossein Salami said on Nov. 4 that the US is used to “getting defeated” by Iran, but has still not learned its lesson. He added that the US has supported “international oil thieves” who wanted to “rob” Iran’s oil, referring to the IRGC’s alleged Oct. 25 seizure of a tanker in the Gulf of Oman. The vessel was accused of being used to carry “stolen” Iranian oil.
Gen. Salami continued, “Based on an accurate scenario, we had determined that if we capture the ship, the Americans would intervene.” He also went on to say that IRGC naval forces did not fear a US intervention and that Iran is a “forbidden land” for Washington.
Gen. Ali Fadavi, Salami’s deputy, noted on Nov. 4 that the eve of the anniversary of the US embassy seizure was the best time to break the news of “the quelling the American forces” so that the world will see that “the US has always failed.” The Oct. 25 incident at sea was reported in Iranian media on Nov. 3.

Meanwhile, Iranian politicians and activists shared their views of the takeover of the US embassy in Tehran.

Ali Motahari, an outspoken former MP whose father was one of the key theorists of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, tweeted on Nov. 3 that the seizure of the embassy was “provoked by leftist people and groups" and "was in accordance with the desire of the Soviet embassy.”
In a debate, Reformist Morteza Alviri, who was among the students who stormed the US embassy, stated on Nov. 4 that “without any doubt, the occupation of the US embassy delivered heavy damage to our country.”

The context/analysis: A group of students calling themselves “Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line” stormed the American embassy in Nov. 1979. The word "Imam" refers to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. The students' initial decision is said to have been to hold the embassy for only a few days, but the crisis ultimately lasted 444 days. The students declared that they wanted the US to surrender the overthrown US-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who had fled the country in early 1979. They were also concerned about a possible US plot to stage a coup, as in 1953.

Most of the students who participated in the seizure of the embassy later changed their views and are currently regarded as Reformists. These figures include supporters of direct negotiations with the US to bring the 2015 Iran nuclear deal back to life. Then US president Donald Trump in 2018 withdrew from the accord, which puts limitations on Iran’s nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief.
On Nov. 3, the IRGC accused the US of “supporting” an alleged attempt to “rob” an Iranian oil cargo. The Guard Corps claims its naval forces seized a tanker used to carry the “stolen” oil, despite a failed attempt by US forces to stop the vessel from being confiscated. The US has rejected Iran’s claims.

The future: Iranian hardliners’ emphasis on marking the anniversary of the US embassy seizure is in line with their efforts to maintain ideological hostility towards Washington.

Further efforts to whip up anti-US sentiments can be expected in the coming weeks as Iran and the US are set to resume indirect nuclear talks in Vienna on Nov. 29. The negotiations have been stalled since June 20, two days after the election of Raisi.
Even if the nuclear deal is revived, it is difficult to foresee Raisi agreeing to direct dialogue with the US on major non-nuclear issues, including challenges in the region. Indeed, Iranian hardliners do not appear to be prepared to see damage to the anti-American pillar of their ideological orientation.