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Iranians Mark US Embassy Siege: 'God Damn America!'

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Several thousand Iranians set U.S. flags on fire and chanted anti-American slogans on Wednesday, marking the 36th anniversary of the 1979 student takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

Fifty-two American diplomats were held hostage for 444 days after the U.S. refused to return toppled Iranian shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to Iran for trial.

On the eve of the anniversary, Iran's state television announced that a Lebanese-American, Nazar Zaka, had been arrested on suspicion of "deep ties with the U.S. military and intelligence services," the report cited.

The U.S. State Department said Zaka is not an American citizen.

"We are aware of reports that a U.S. lawful permanent resident has been arrested in Iran," State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said. "U.S. lawful permanent residents are not U.S. passport holders and would travel on the passport of their nationality. Consular assistance would be provided by the country of the individual's nationality."

Four other Iranian-Americans are being held in Tehran, including Pastor Saeed Abedini, who was convicted in 2013 on Christian-related activities.

Protesters on Wednesday chanted "Death to America," "God damn America," and "No compromise, no surrender to U.S." as they urged Iran's chief nuclear negotiator not to "trust the Americans."

Hard-liners in Iran are trying to scuttle President Hassan Rouhani's outreach to the West following July's landmark nuclear deal. Opponents of the deal in Iran are deeply suspicious of the United States and its allies.

The Guardian's investigative journalist Akbar Ganji warned that a "new wave of repression is imminent in Iran" as the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other hard-liners try to "eliminate moderates and reformists" seeking closer economic and cultural ties with the United States.

Iran's intelligence services have in recent days arrested several prominent journalists and activists, accusing them of working with the United States.

"Thanks to their vigilance, the intelligence and security forces identified and cracked down on a network of penetration in the media and cyberspace, and detained spies and writers hired by the Americans," said Ebrahim Raeisi, Iran's prosecutor general.

Raeisi, who addressed Wednesday's anniversary rally, said Iran will stand up to any cultural, social or economic penetration by the Americans.

"Under no circumstances will we allow a penetration of Americans into our economic, social and cultural areas," Raeisi vowed. "Anywhere we see the footprints of America and their domination system or any trace of their cultural penetration, rest assured that our statesmen, officials, intelligence forces and the great Iranian nation will confront them."

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Thomas

Born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and of Indian descent, CBN News’ Senior International Correspondent and Co-Anchor, George Thomas, has been traveling the globe for more than 20 years, finding the stories of people, conflicts, and issues that must be told. He has reported from more than 100 countries and has had a front-row seat to numerous global events of our day. George’s stories of faith, struggle, and hope combine the expertise of a seasoned journalist with the inspiration of a deep calling to tell the stories of the people behind the news. “I’ve always liked discovering & exploring new