Ali Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, said on Monday that the 1979 seizure of the US embassy in Tehran was pivotal to shaping Iran’s current political and defense standing, arguing that without it “the Islamic Republic might not exist."
Speaking at a ceremony marking the anniversary of the embassy takeover, Khomeini said the Iranian people supported the move, which came nine months after the 1979 revolution.
“The nation stood behind the decision to seize the US embassy,” he said, adding that the action proved in practice that America was not the ultimate decision-maker.
Khomeini drew a parallel between that event and what he described as Iran’s current military and technological advances. “As long as our missiles did not strike our enemies, no one understood their value,” he said, referring to Iran’s missile capabilities.
He also contrasted Iran’s position with that of regional states, saying many of them remain closely aligned with US policies.
The takeover of the US embassy on November 4, 1979, led to the hostage-taking of 52 American diplomats for 444 days and the eventual severing of US-Iran diplomatic ties. The event remains one of the most defining moments in the history of the Islamic Republic and continues to influence Tehran’s foreign policy rhetoric.
According to the report, local officials in Golestan Province said years of neglect and slow implementation of restoration projects have pushed the gulf -- once a vital ecosystem for fisheries and wetlands -- close to collapse.
Abdollah Aghaalikhani, director-general of the provincial inspection organization, told Tasnim that several measures approved by Iran’s National Wetlands Restoration Committee “have not been implemented.”
He added, “Some agencies at the national level are behind the scheduled timelines for the interventions, and negligence has been observed.”
Aghaalikhani warned that research indicates “there are only three to five years left” to save the Gorgan Gulf, calling for a chain of coordinated actions to stabilize the ecosystem.
He added that the oversight body is “seriously and continuously monitoring implementation of executive commitments, including dredging, water pumping, and completion of coastal wastewater treatment plants.”
Abdoljalal Eiri, a lawmaker representing coastal constituencies in Golestan, told Tasnim that parliament has allocated 10 trillion rials (about $9 million) for the gulf’s restoration in next year’s budget, but said the Environment Department must first conduct a comprehensive study to use the funds effectively.
“Legal obligations exist to rescue Gorgan Gulf, and any agency that has failed to act will be held accountable,” Eiri said.
He added that he has filed complaints against the Environment Department and the Plan and Budget Organization under Article 234 of Parliament’s internal rules “for negligence in implementing legal duties.”
Tasnim added that the Gulf, once a thriving link between the Caspian Sea and Miankaleh Wetland, has been shrinking due to declining Caspian water levels, sedimentation, and rising temperatures.
Dredging of a key canal linking the gulf to the sea began under former President Ebrahim Raisi in 2022, but locals say renewed sedimentation has rendered navigation nearly impossible.
Environmental experts have warned that failure to restore water flow could turn parts of northern Iran into new dust storm zones, threatening local fisheries and livelihoods.
Tasnim wrote that the Gorgan Gulf, once known as “the jewel of northern Iran,” may vanish within a few years unless dredging, pumping, and wastewater control projects are implemented “without further delay.”
Videos received by Iran International show large crowds attending Sarlak’s burial in Lorestan province, chanting “Death to Khamenei” and “Death to the dictator.”
Others cried, “We will kill whoever killed my brother,” and “This flower that has withered is a gift to the homeland.”
Several mourners recited verses from the Shahnameh -- the Persian national epic written by the 10th-century poet Ferdowsi, which celebrates heroism and resistance to tyranny -- comparing Sarlak’s courage to that of ancient Persian heroes.
Sarlak’s father appeared in a widely shared video at the site where his son’s body was found, saying, “They killed my champion here.” Another man in the clip can be heard saying Sarlak was “surrounded and shot.”
The funeral followed comments from Ali Asadollahi, the police commander of Aligoudarz, who said on Sunday that the body of a young man had been discovered inside a car near Arsalan Goodarzi Stadium, adding that he “took his own life with a handgun.”
Authorities did not identify the victim, but social media users soon named him as Sarlak and accused officials of pressuring the family to endorse the suicide narrative.
A final act of defiance
Before his death, Sarlak had posted videos on Instagram showing a burning photo of Khamenei with an archival recording of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi’s voice playing over it.
In another story tagged “Death to Khamenei,” he wrote: “How long should we endure humiliation, poverty, and being ridden over? This is the moment to show yourself, young people. These clerics are nothing but a stream for Iran’s youth to cross.”
Activists described Sarlak as a patriotic youth and said he was “killed under torture by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry” hours after sharing the video.
Another user wrote he had been “arrested by the IRGC Intelligence Organization and his bruised, tortured body was later returned to his family.”
Iran International cannot independently verify those remarks. Judicial and security authorities have not provided clarification on the circumstances of his death, and the lack of transparency has intensified public skepticism.
In recent years, officials have repeatedly attributed suspicious deaths to suicide -- a statement widely doubted by the public, who often use the phrase “he was suicided” to express disbelief.
One such case was that of former political prisoner Sara Tabrizi, found dead at her parents’ home last year after pressure from security forces.
“Only if the United States completely cuts its backing for the Zionist regime, removes its military bases from the region, and ceases interfering in its affairs, their request for cooperation with Iran -- not in the near future but much later -- could be examined,” Khamenei said in a meeting with students in Tehran.
Marking the anniversary of November 4 US embassy takeover, known as Student Day in Iran, Khamenei described it as “a day of pride and victory” and said it should remain alive in the nation’s collective memory.
He said the 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Tehran had “exposed the true identity of the American government,” calling the embassy “a headquarters of plotting against the Revolution.”
On November 4, 1979, a group of students stormed the US Embassy in Tehran, taking Americans hostage for 444 days. This act ignited the new Islamic government’s anti-US stance and set Iran on a path of prolonged conflict with Washington.
The Leader rejected the notion that the embassy seizure began Iran’s dispute with Washington. “The differences between the Islamic Republic and America are not tactical but essential,” he said. “Some distort history and imagine that the slogan ‘Death to America’ caused this conflict – this is naïve.”
The United States’ nature was “imperialist and intolerant of independence,” Khamenei added.
“Every American president has demanded Iran’s surrender, even if they did not say it aloud,” he said. “The current president said it openly -- he revealed the true face of America. What does the surrender of a nation like Iran even mean?”
Back in June, President Donald Trump demanded Iran’s unconditional surrender and warned US patience was wearing thin.
The United States held five rounds of negotiations with Tehran over its disputed nuclear program under a 60-day deadline set by President Donald Trump.
When no agreement was reached by the 61st day, on June 13, Israel launched a surprise military offensive, followed by US strikes on June 22 targeting key nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow.
“I believe the enemy today neither has the power nor the conditions to begin a war,” Ali-Mohammad Naeini said in an interview with the podcast Story of the War on Sunday.
“They entered with maximal goals from the start. Now the question is, with what new motive or objective could they act again? When we speak of war, we mean the full-scale conflict that aimed to overthrow and divide the country.”
The problem for Iran’s adversaries, Naeini said, was not just weapons shortages but technological weakness. “Their real problem is the lack of advanced technology, inadequate air-defense systems, and limited technical knowledge,” he added.
“Even with what technology they possessed, they could not mount an effective defense, and there is still no sign of new strategic readiness that could improve deterrence or serve fresh objectives.”
Iran’s military readiness, he said, remains constant. “Preparations go on around the clock,” Naeini added. “From the youth of the Aerospace Force to ground units, the Basij, and senior commanders, everyone is in the field studying threats and developments.”
Response to Haniyeh assassination
Security officials, Naeini said, acted within hours of the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s political chief, in a July 2024 Israeli strike on his residence in Tehran. “The National Security Council met immediately,” he said. “The conclusion was clear: a response was necessary.”
He said an investigation confirmed the strike was not internal sabotage. “A shoulder-launched missile entered through the window and struck while he was on a phone call,” Naeini said. “The attackers used his phone signal to locate and hit him.”
The follow-up operation, codenamed True Promise 2, he added, served both as retaliation and deterrence.
“That strike was not only a response to the assassination but also a boost to the regional deterrence posture and to the morale of our allies.”
Operations and missile strikes
The Guards, according to Naeini, conducted 22 waves of operations during the 12-day war. “We designed the campaign so the Israelis would continually experience going to their shelters,” he said.
“From the fifth to the eighth day, the battlefield superiority was absolute for us, and on the final day we enjoyed complete victory.”
Iranian forces downed at least 80 advanced drones and recorded 334 wrecks, he said. “These drones employed some of the world’s most advanced technologies,” Naeini added.
“Through cyber measures and short-range systems we neutralized those threats and restored relative air security.”
On June 23, 2025, the IRGC launched missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in retaliation for US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
“Fourteen missiles were launched; six hit the target,” Naeini said, adding that “about $111 million was spent by the US to counter them.”
Iran’s aim was deterrence, not escalation, Naeini maintained. “When we can force the enemy to its knees with our operational units, there is no need to widen the war.”
The 12-day conflict ended June 24 under a US-brokered ceasefire, but concern deepened as 400 kilograms of Iran’s highly enriched uranium remained unaccounted for.
Iran’s missile and drone power across all branches of the Guards “remains fully ready,” though “not all capabilities have been engaged, nor was there any need,” Naeini said.
