Iran marks U.S. Embassy takeover

As reported in 'The Japan News' : The Associated Press, TEHRAN (AP) — Thousands of Iranians chanted “Down with America” on Tuesday in rallies marking the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of U.S. Embassy in Tehran. But the annual show of America-bashing by Iran’s hard-liners seemed to bring little public enthusiasm amid the push by moderate President Hassan Rouhani for a nuclear agreement with Washington. More than 10,000 people joined the anniversary rally outside the former embassy compound in the capital. That was thousands less than the last year’s rally, the first since Rouhani’s election, when his hard-line rivals sought to make a resounding show of opposition to any concessions to the United States. Rouhani has made the negotiations the centerpiece of his administration, betting that he can secure a deal that would lift international sanctions and end Iran’s isolation. That has been a major hope among many Iranians, who are looking for a boost to the ailing economy. The United States and its allies say the accord must ensure that Iran cannot use its nuclear program to build a weapon. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif are to hold key talks on the nuclear program next week in Oman’s capital Muscat, where they will be joined by the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton. The embassy anniversary this year coincided with Ashoura, a Shiite holy day commemorating the 7th century martyrdom of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad revered by Shiites who was killed in a battle with rival Muslims.Speech