TEHRAN – Hundreds of thousands of Iranians flooded the streets of Tehran and more than 900 cities across the country on Tuesday to commemorate the anniversary of the 1979 occupation of the U.S. embassy. The event is officially known as the “Global National Day of the Fight Against Hubris.”
Students, young people, clergy and families attended the rally, holding chants against the United States and Israel, including slogans such as “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” Demonstrators held Iranian flags and portraits of martyrs killed in acts of aggression by the United States and Israel, including the “12-day war” against Iran last June.
In Tehran, a central procession began in Palestine Square and proceeded to the grounds of the former US embassy, now known as the “den of spies,” where speeches, religious readings and the reading of official resolutions were held. During the event, a symbolic trial was held between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Along the procession route, cultural and political exhibitions were held depicting decades of Western and Israeli “crimes” against Iran and other countries. Symbolic displays of Iranian missiles and centrifuges lined the streets, and US and Israeli flags were burned as part of a ritualized act of defiance.
The official resolution, read at a rally in Tehran, characterized the 13th of Abban as a decisive moment in the Islamic Republic’s struggle for global hegemony. He emphasized that this day commemorates the sacrifices of students and young people during the Islamic Revolution and reaffirms Iran’s continued resistance to US and Israeli rule.
The statement reiterated Iran’s commitment to defending the rights of the Palestinian people, supporting the global movement against foreign intervention, and maintaining its military, scientific and economic independence. Participants pledged allegiance to the leadership of Seyyed Ali Khamenei and pledged to uphold the values of the Islamic revolution in order to protect Iran’s sovereignty and dignity.
Army reminds enemy of ‘painful blows’ during 12-day war
In a statement to mark the anniversary, the Armed Forces’ General Staff declared that Iran’s enemies are “well aware” that they have lost the ability to carry out further aggression following the “severing blows” they received during the 12-day conflict.
“With the unity and unity of the Iranian people, the readiness of the armed forces, and above all the divine determination of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the enemy is now trying to bring the steadfast Iranian people to a halt in a state of ‘neither war nor peace,'” the statement said.
The communiqué explains that the 13th of Abban commemorates milestones that paved the way for the Islamic revolution, including the ouster of Imam Khomeini in 1964, the killing of student protesters in 1978, and the seizure of embassies in 1979. He accused the United States and Israel of “spreading fear through media warfare” to achieve goals that would be impossible to achieve on the battlefield.
The General Staff reaffirmed that Iran’s armed forces are “united in the defense of the sacred homeland” and ready to “deal a decisive blow” against any aggressor.
IRGC says US policy is built on infiltration
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) also said in a statement that the seizure of the US embassy was a “strategic choice between resistance and surrender.” It claimed that documents seized from the embassy revealed that the U.S. diplomatic mission was not a legitimate diplomatic forum but a “CIA base for intelligence and operational operations.”
“For the United States, diplomacy is not a means of engagement but a cover for infiltration, deception and subversion,” the Revolutionary Guards said, accusing the United States of consistently pursuing a strategy of pressure and intervention since the 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh.
The statement also referred to the 12-day war and said recent US actions indicate a continuation of a “stable pattern of hostility” against Iran. He called on Iranian youth to “renew our unity and resolve against global arrogance, just as we did during the Sacred Defense era” of the 1980s.
faith over fear
Major General Habibollah Sayari, Iran’s deputy commander for military coordination, also reiterated his call for national unity, identifying “faith, unity and loyalty to the leader” as the keys to Iran’s success. “Arrogance is our enemy and will not bring us any good. The solution to our country’s challenges is revolutionary thinking: faith in God, reliance on domestic capabilities, courage and innovation,” he told demonstrators in Zanjan.
Celebrated annually as Students’ Day and National Day Against Arrogance, the 13th of Abban commemorates three pivotal events in modern Iranian history: Imam Khomeini’s exile to Turkey in 1964, the killing of student protesters in 1978, and the occupation of the U.S. Embassy in 1979.
For many Iranians, the day is a symbol of national independence, resistance, and defiance against foreign domination, principles that continue to shape the Islamic Republic’s political identity and foreign policy decades after the revolution.