On Sunday, demonstrators in Iran gathered outside the former U.S. embassy in Tehran to commemorate the anniversary of the 1979 hostage crisis, an event that has profoundly influenced U.S.-Iran relations for decades.

The crisis began in November 1979 following the Islamic Revolution, which saw the overthrow of the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi and the rise to power of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s first supreme leader. Supporters of Khomeini, primarily students, stormed the U.S. embassy, seizing 52 American staff members and holding them captive for 444 days. The students demanded that Washington extradite the deposed shah, who was undergoing medical treatment for cancer in the United States.

Amid the crisis, in 1980, the U.S. formally severed diplomatic relations with Iran — ties that remain frozen to this day.

Chanting slogans such as ''Death to Israel, Death to America!'' crowds gathered outside the embassy, which now serves as a museum called the ''Den of Spies'' and is adorned with murals opposing the U.S. Demonstrators also burned Israeli and U.S. flags as part of the rally, a tradition that has taken place annually since 1979.

The commemoration comes at a time of heightened regional tensions following the outbreak of the Gaza conflict in October 2023. The war was sparked by an unprecedented attack on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas. Since then, Israel, a U.S. ally and long-time adversary of Iran, has engaged in ongoing conflict with Iranian-backed groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

On Oct. 26, Israel conducted air strikes on military installations in Iran, responding to a prior attack by Tehran on Oct. 1. Iran’s initial assault was in retaliation for the assassination of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander. Israel has since warned Iran against further responses.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s current supreme leader, addressed the situation on Saturday, promising a severe reaction to any further actions by Israel or the U.S. ''The enemies, both the USA and the Zionist regime, should know that they will definitely receive a tooth-breaking response to what they are doing against Iran, the Iranian nation and the resistance front,'' Khamenei stated during a speech to students in Tehran.

Sunday’s rally came just days before the U.S. elections, which will see former President Donald Trump face off against Democratic contender Kamala Harris.