The date alone bridges three pivotal milestones in Iran’s modern history, each bound together by the thread of resistance against U.S. intervention:
The Exile of Imam Khomeini (1964): In direct protest against the Shah’s regime granting judicial immunity (capitulation) to American military personnel, Imam Khomeini delivered scathing critiques of foreign dependence. For this defiance, he was arrested and exiled, beginning a 14-year period in which he developed the political doctrine of Velayat-e Faqih and guided the movement from afar towrad the Islamic Revolution.
The Student Massacre (1978): Just months before the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, Pahlavi (Shah) regim's security forces opened fire on peaceful student protesters at the University of Tehran, martyring 56 youth. This tragedy further galvanized public outrage and intensified the momentum against the U.S.-backed monarchy.
The Takeover of the U.S. Embassy / “Den of Espionage” (1979): Citing the embassy as the nerve center for plots against teh Islamic Revolution and foreign subversion, and responding to Washington’s asylum for the ousted Shah, Muslim student followers of the Imam’s line seized the compound. Hailed by Imam Khomeini as the “Second Revolution,” this move severed final threads of Western dependency and exposed decades of covert operations detailed in dozens of recovered document volumes.
Observed annually through nationwide rallies across hundreds of cities, 13 Aban, officially designated as the National Day of Fight against Global Arrogance, serves as an annual reaffirmation of Iran’s commitment to self-determination, independence, and resistance against external hegemony.
seyed mohammad kazemi - Neda Sajjadi
