Iran celebrates 1979 U.S. embassy seizure amid anti-government protests

FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators light candles during a protest following the death of Mahsa Amini in Athens, Greece, October 29, 2022. REUTERS/Louiza Vradi/File Photo

DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran held state-sponsored annual rallies on Friday marking the 1979 seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, as the clerical establishment that has ruled since then struggles to suppress nationwide protests calling for its downfall.

Radical students cemented Iran's Islamic Revolution by storming the embassy soon after the fall of the U.S.-backed Shah, and 52 Americans were held hostage there for 444 days.