Basij Commander Mohammad Reza Naqdi says the storming of the Israeli embassy in Egypt on Friday brings to mind the Iranian university students’ seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1979. Egyptian protesters destroyed a wall around the Israeli embassy and broke into the building on September 9 after thousands demonstrated at Tahrir Square called for a timetable to be set for reforms and an end to military trials for civilians.
Naqdi, in an interview published on Saturday, said, “This unprecedented move by the people of Cairo was inspired by the great incident which took place on the 13th of Aban (of 1979) and the revolutionary zeal of the youth of the Islamic Iran, who shattered the global arrogance (imperialist powers)’s delusions of grandeur.”
The 13th of Aban in the Iranian calendar, which corresponds to November 4, is Iran’s national day of struggle against the global arrogance and the anniversary of the university students’ seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, which was called the Den of Spies. 52 U.S. citizens were taken hostage during the incident. Naqdi added, “However, the people of Cairo showed grace and did not took anyone hostage, but the Zionists should be aware that in the event they return to Egypt again, even steel walls will not deter the people in Egypt.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Basij commander strongly advised all governments to severe ties with the Zionist regime. “If the world’s governments, particularly Muslim countries, do not make a final decision to ostracize the Zionist regime, nations will soon take the people of Cairo, who seized the Zionists’ den of spies, as a model and will take a final decision to annihilate this racist regime.” He also criticized Turkey for adopting a double-standard policy, saying, “The Turkish government should close the embassy of this regime, which has occupied (the holy) Qods as soon as possible and should not compel the Turkish people to make a decision in this regard.”
