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CNN Sunday Morning

Relatively Small Demonstrations Take Place in Iran

Aired November 04, 2001 - 07:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: On November 4, 22 years ago, the Iranian hostage crisis began when militants seized he United States Embassy in Tehran. It was the start of 444 days of captivity for 52 Americans. In Iran, this day is officially declared anti-U.S. Day, but there has been a change in those sentiments.

On the phone now from Tehran is CNN's Kasra Naji -- Kasra.

KASRA NAJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Martin, we had a demonstration today. We -- every year in Iran on this day there is a demonstration, usually not very big.

But today, the organizers had been planning and mobilizing this for days, and we had expected a huge demonstration, given the extent of the mobilization; organizers using the state-owned radio and television to call on their supporters, the hard-liners, to come to the front of the embassy.

But today, when we went there, basically, there were few -- 1,000 people, about 5,000 or 6,000 at most. And many of them were school children, basically, brought out for a day out; and many of them were very happy to be missing a day at school -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: So what is the situation regarding relationships now between the United States and Iran? They obviously have taken a significant move.

NAJI: Well, yes. There is this division in Iran, and this division over this issue of how we approach the United States and this war on terrorism.

There is this growing respite in the two sides, that moderates -- there is a growing call among the moderate faction here for direct talks with the U.S. because, they say, Iran has vital interests in the region, particularly in Afghanistan; and to secure those interests, we have to talk the U.S. and others involved in this whole campaign.

But there are the hard-liners. Hard-liners are saying that we will never have any relations with the U.S.; we don't talk to the U.S.; and talking to U.S. will be the start of this slippery slope, at the end of which Iran will be, again, dominated by the U.S. like it was under the Shah before the revolution -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Some things have changed in 22 years, and some things have not. Kasra Naji joining us from Tehran this morning, thank you very much.

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