In Tehran, the main demonstration began at 9 am from Palestine Square, with participants marching along Taleqani Street toward the former US embassy, known in Iran as the Den of Espionage.
The annual rallies were held simultaneously in more than 900 locations across the country, bringing together school and university students, teachers, families, religious groups and other segments of society.
Participants carried Iranian flags and portraits of martyrs, particularly martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and the other martyred in recent US-Israeli wars of aggression, while chanting slogans against the US and the Zionist regime and reaffirming their commitment to safeguarding Iran's independence and national sovereignty.
The Tehran gathering also featured a series of cultural and commemorative programs, including speeches, poetry recitals, religious eulogies, revolutionary chants and the reading of a final resolution. Student-oriented cultural and educational activities were also organized along the march route, reflecting the significance of the occasion as National Students' Day.
November 4, corresponding to the 13th day of the Iranian month of Aban, commemorates several pivotal events in Iran's contemporary history. On this day in 1964, the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, was exiled from Iran after strongly opposing the Pahlavi government's policies and the expansion of US influence in the country. Fourteen years later, on November 4, 1978, a number of students were killed when forces of the Pahlavi regime cracked down on protests in Tehran, an event that became a landmark in the country's revolutionary movement and led to the designation of the day as National Students' Day.
The date also marks the November 4, 1979, takeover of the US embassy in Tehran by a group of Iranian university students who described themselves as followers of Imam Khomeini. Less than a year after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the students occupied the compound, arguing that it had been used by the United States as a center for espionage and activities aimed at undermining the newly established Islamic Republic. Documents subsequently released by the students were presented as evidence of American intelligence operations and interference in Iran's domestic affairs.
The annual rallies have since become a major nationwide occasion in Iran, bringing together students and other sections of society to commemorate these historical events and voice opposition to what Iranian officials describe as the hegemonic policies of the United States and its allies. The November 4 observances also provide an opportunity to reaffirm the country's commitment to independence, resistance against foreign domination and the legacy of those who lost their lives during the struggle against the former monarchy and subsequent conflicts.