TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian state TV says thousands of Iranians nationwide are demonstrating to celebrate the 29th anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by militant students.

Crowds gathered in Tehran outside the former U.S. Embassy building today. They chanted anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans while burning flags of the two countries.

The embassy takeover occurred during Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution. The 52 Americans who were held hostage were returned after 444 days. But the crisis severely damaged relations between the two countries.

The U.S. cut diplomatic ties with Iran, and since then, the two countries have had no diplomatic relations.