Tehran: Thousands of Iranians chanting "Death
to America" marked the anniversary on Friday of the 1979 seizure
of the US embassy with symbolic actions and speeches
condemning US allegations of an Iranian assassination plot.
The annual celebration in front of what Iranians call "the
den of spies" was also used this year as a platform to hail
the Arab Spring -- termed the "Islamic awakening" here -- and
to denounce Israel.
Some of the mainly young crowd taking part burnt US and
Israeli flags and a picture of US President Barack Obama.
Effigies of Israeli and US political figures were held aloft.
Saeed Jalili, secretary of the Supreme National Security
Council, told the demonstrators the government had
"irrefutable" evidence of the United States "backing, training
terrorists" against Iran.
He waved some papers in his hand and said they were
documents backing his claims.
He did not give further details but said Iran`s ambassador
to the United Nations would submit the papers to UN chief Ban
Ki-moon in order "to take needed action against these impudent
acts."
He also said that "today (Friday) we are going to summon
the Swiss envoy... to lodge the Islamic republic`s official
complaint," Jalili said.
Iranian media later carried a statement by the Iranian
foreign ministry saying the Swiss charge d`affairs was
summoned to the ministry to communicate Iran`s claims of US
"terrorist acts" and to demand an end to US "interference."
It was the second time in two days the foreign ministry
had passed a message to Washington via the Swiss embassy,
which handles US interests in the absence of Iran-US
diplomatic ties.
Yesterday, it complained over testimony to a US
Congressional committee in which two US military analysts
urged the assassination of Iranian officials.
Tensions between Iran and the United States intensified
last month when US officials accused Tehran of masterminding a
plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.
Iran has fiercely denied any involvement in the alleged
assassination plot and sent a letter to Washington demanding
an apology.
It has called the accusations an attempt by the United
States to distract attention from domestic economic problems
and a failed policy in the Middle East.
The former embassy, which is painted with anti-US murals,
has become a training and educational facility under the
control of the elite Revolutionary Guards.
Demonstrators today also carried banners supporting the
"Occupy Wall Street" movement and denouncing capitalism.
PTI
