So we are here in front of the American embassy compound in Tehran. Here we have an apple with the CNN logo. The Twin Towers interspersed with the dollar sign. The Statue of Liberty. It is one of the most photographed walls, probably in all of Tehran. Americans know this old American complex. But to Iranians, it’s what we call the “American Spy Museum.” And of course, what happened here is at the root of the hostility between the United States and Iran for more than four decades, a hostility that has recently intensified. In June, Israel and the United States launched strikes against Iran, sparking a short but intense war that shook the capital, leaving hundreds dead. Foreign journalists face restricted access in Iran, but on a recent trip, officials allowed us to tour the old embassy, where much of the current animosity stems from. On November 4, 1979, Iranian students stormed the embassy, fearing that the United States was planning to restore the Shah, or king, who had been deposed months earlier. They held 52 hostages for a total of 444 days. [Voiceover] “The students had limited outside contact with the hostages. Until now, they had refused to send letters to their captors.” “What can you call these hostages? These people are political smugglers.” “I announced a series of economic and political actions.” “We have passed the time for gestures. We want our people to be liberated.” Six CIA officers were among the hostages, the US government later said, accusing Iran of violating diplomatic conventions. Decades of tensions would follow. “So it was during the hostage crisis?” “After the hostage crisis.” “After the students arrive.” Amir, 21, works here as a guide as part of his compulsory military service. Like many others in Iran, where self-censorship is common, he asked us not to use his last name. “Typically, how many people visit this museum each year? » “There are about 5,000, most from Asia. But we rarely get visitors from the US and UK.” This is the office of the former American ambassador. It has been carefully preserved to look largely as it did before the hostage crisis. When it became certain that the students were seizing the embassy, the Americans inside desperately tried to shred as many classified documents as possible. “These are the famous shredders probably familiar to most Americans from the movie Argo, right?” “The students tried to recover some of these documents. It took six years to collect the shredded papers. And, after recovery, the students organized all these documents like a book.” Particular emphasis is placed on this part of the museum, presented as the CIA station. It’s full of spy material. There are encryption devices, there is an eavesdropping machine. There is a secure room right behind me. And for the regime here, this is presented as proof that this building was not only used for diplomatic purposes, but also to surveil the Iranians and, according to them, to meddle in their affairs. “This is all the hardware needed to listen to communications and monitor communications.” “Yeah, I mean, I have to say it’s more elaborate than I expected, right? It gives you a glimpse of what espionage was like almost five decades ago.” The museum’s message was clear to its visitors, including the handful of foreign journalists, like us, who were allowed entry. Americans were not to be trusted then and should not be trusted today. Many Iranians told me that they view the museum as a relic of a distant past, but that they have also been on high alert since the June War and fear that fighting with the United States could begin at any moment. A reminder that this troubled history still resonates today.
