With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Iran marks US embassy takeover

Demonstrations have been held in Iran to mark the 29th anniversary of the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran.

The Islamic revolution in 1979 took over from the US backed regime of the Shah and installed the clerical rule of Ayatollah Khomeini.

Students stormed the US Embassy on 4 November 1979 taking 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.

The hostages were released in 1981 and relations between Washington and Tehran have never recovered.

The old US embassy compound is now used by the Revolutionary Guards and the walls are plastered with anti-American slogans.

Read entire article at BBC