海角大神

Chants of 鈥淒eath to America!鈥� rang out聽in Tehran today as protesters trampled on and burnt US flags聽outside the former US Embassy聽to mark the 1979 embassy seizure.

The demonstration was a show聽of strength聽by hardliners seeking to derail聽centrist President Hassan Rouhani's聽international聽outreach just days before Iran meets with world powers to continue talks on curbing Iran's nuclear program.聽

The depth of fervor at the annual commemoration has long聽been聽seen as a barometer of hardline support,聽and this year's showing聽was the largest in years. The 1979 takeover by militant students led to a 444-day hostage ordeal for 52 American diplomats and a rupture between the US and the nascent Islamic Republic. 聽

"For sure, there are still [some] who vehemently oppose any rapprochement with the US, who still consider the US a 鈥榞reat Satan,鈥欌�� says Nasser Hadian-Jazy, a political scientist at Tehran University.聽

But the hardline message is aimed more at Iranians than at Washington.

Mr. Rouhani, promising an 鈥渆nd to extremism,鈥� broke a decades-long taboo by speaking directly to President Barack Obama by phone in September 鈥� only one of many steps that have made hardliners wince.聽

鈥淭hey want to settle scores. They want to send a signal to the government, to the reformists, to everyone else that, 鈥榃e are still here, we are still powerful,聽be careful,' " says Mr. Hadian-Jazy. "They聽don鈥檛 want that perception to exist that they are weak.鈥�

Those views聽are not likely to聽resonate with most Iranians. They decisively聽voted against聽a slate of conservative candidates in the June election that delivered a surprise victory for Rouhani.聽But hardliners don't need broad support to play spoiler at this critical juncture in nuclear talks, when trust on both sides聽still聽remains nonexistent.

"Their power does not come from the number of people who support them, but the resources at their disposal,鈥� says Hadian-Jazy. 鈥淚t is not how large they are, but how powerful they are. They have many resources: financial, bureaucratic and organizational, and media.鈥�

Those resources have fueled an entire "hostility industry" for domestic consumption, Hadian-Jazy says. Students today were bused to the聽protest at the embassy, and journalists were issued press badges printed with the words 鈥淒own with USA.鈥�

And in advance of the anniversary, banners attacking the US as vile and dishonest began appearing in Tehran, including one which showed a goateed negotiator 鈥� unmistakably meant to be Foreign Minister聽Mohammad Javad Zarif聽鈥� at the table with an American who,聽underneath the table and out of sight, wore聽camouflage military trousers.

Last week those banners were removed, and聽immediately after the rally today, Tehran municipality workers 鈥渞ushed to the scene to sweep up the propaganda material left behind,鈥� according to a tweet by Thomas Erdbrink of the New York Times in the Iranian capital.聽Both聽indicate how eager Rouhani's camp is to tamp tensions with the US down as they head into a new round of talks.聽

Putting up the banners was 鈥渁n illegal action against national security,鈥� said Tehran City Council member Gholamreza Ansari, according to ISNA news agency. 鈥淯nfortunately when it comes to domestic affairs some uncalculated moves and unplanned actions happen.鈥�

The banners were a 鈥渞eminder to all鈥� that Iranian spoilers were 鈥渧ery active,鈥� Mr. Zarif said in Istanbul聽on Friday. 鈥淵ou said we don鈥檛 have a Tea Party? I wish you were right.鈥�

Still good vs. evil?

Hardliners complain noisily that Rouhani and聽the聽US-educated Zarif are naive and are undermining the anti-American pillar of the Islamic Republic.聽The new president's聽vows to quickly ease economic misery in Iran by resolving the nuclear dispute聽have sowed suspicions that the new leadership is too eager to compromise and will be exploited.聽

鈥淭he slogan 鈥楧eath to America鈥� positions us against rapacious superpowers,鈥� Hossein Allah Karam, the leader of the hard-line vigilante group Ansar-e Hezbollah was quoted as saying by the conservative Fararu website. 鈥淎merica is Iran鈥檚 enemy and today the critical wave 鈥� which I belong to 鈥撀爃as an agenda to emphasize this mistrust and show it to the [Rouhani] government.鈥�

From the podium today, Iran鈥檚 former top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili portrayed US-Iran hostility as an 鈥渆ternal鈥� battle between ideologies, between good and evil, in which the 鈥淒eath to America鈥� chant was a vital symbol of resistance to US hegemony embraced by Iran鈥檚 鈥渕ost intellectual people.鈥澛�

But聽Jalili聽also聽said that 鈥渁ll the nation stands behind鈥� the Iranian team, following the top-level聽guidance聽to back Iran鈥檚 nuclear negotiating team as 鈥渟ons of the revolution鈥� that was delivered聽Sunday聽by Iran鈥檚 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,聽who makes all final decisions of state in Iran.聽

鈥淣o one should consider our negotiators as compromisers,鈥� Ayatollah Khamenei said. 鈥淭hey have a difficult mission and no one must weaken an official who is busy with work.鈥� 聽聽

But he also noted doubts. 鈥淲e should not trust an enemy who smiles,鈥� said Khamenei. 鈥淔rom one side the Americans smile and express a desire to negotiate, and from another side they immediately say all options are on the table,鈥� he said, alluding to President Obama's comments that "all options" are on the table in regards to Iran.

Khamenei drew a link between the 1979 embassy takeover and the recent revelations that the US National Security Agency has built up a global spying network that has especially angered targeted US allies such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

鈥淭hirty years ago, our young people called the US Embassy a 鈥榙en of spies鈥� 鈥� It means our young people were 30 years ahead of their time,鈥� said Khamenei.聽Echoing that view, Jalili said the embassy capture "showed that the revolution was on the right path."

A new course

Few know better the possible impact of hard-line spoilers than former President Mohammad Khatami, whose reform efforts were stymied during his 1997-2005 tenure.

鈥淭his administration does not have a halo.鈥� It cannot miraculously solve every problem overnight,鈥� Mr. Khatami told Tehran University students last聽week, according to a translation of Shargh newspaper by Al Monitor. 鈥淲hen I put myself in the place of the officials today, I can understand鈥�. There are many difficulties and abundant expectations, and there are people with either good will or ill will who fuel these expectations.鈥�

But, after decades holding top posts, Rouhani has support from Khamenei like Khatami never had. And Khamenei has moderated militant groups in the past.

鈥淭he hardliners in Iran are not independent, they see themselves as loyal and obedient to the leadership,鈥� says a political analyst in Tehran, who asked not to be named because of sensitivities that remain about working with foreign media.

鈥淭hey are still not an organized political group like [conservative] principalists and reformists,鈥� says the analyst. 鈥淪o their voices are loud but they don鈥檛 play any role in decisionmaking now.鈥澛�