TEHRAN, Iran - Iran has begun commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 1979 student takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and the subsequent 444-day hostage crisis. Among the events planned in Tehran on Monday is a rally by hard-liners at the former embassy and an address by Iranian army commander Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi. State TV says rallies also will take place in nearly 1,000 cities and towns across Iran. The anniversary this year comes amid tensions heightened to a level unseen since the hostage crisis after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran. Islamist students seized the embassy in 1979 after Washington allowed ousted Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to travel to the U.S. for medical treatment.

Source: thestar November 04, 2019 06:22 UTC