TEHRAN - Thousands of Iranians staged an anti-American rally outside the closed US embassy in Tehran on Wednesday to mark the 30th anniversary of the takeover of the compound by Islamist students.
Witnesses said members of the security forces were out in force throughout central Tehran anticipating demonstrations by opposition supporters still angry at the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June.
Huge crowds surrounded the embassy complex, chanting slogans such as "Death to America" and "Death to Israel."
They also smashed up posters of the American "Uncle Sam" symbol and chanted "The blood in our veins is a gift to our leader" -- a reference to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The crowd was constantly being swelled by people arriving on foot and by bus, witnesses said.