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Wednesday 22 September 2010

Wall to wall in Tehran

Yesterday Iran celebrated the 30th anniversary of the revolution which overthrew the Shah of Iran and established an Islamic republic in the country.

It reminded me that I was in Iran in 1980 to cover the aftermath of the aborted mission to rescue hostages from the US embassy in Tehran.

And I was back in Tehran 26 years later, in 2006, to report the anniversary of the death of Mohammed Mossadeq, Iran’s first democratically elected leader, overthrown by the Shah of Iran in 1957 in a coup supported by the US and Britain.

In the film below you can see me in my 1980 and 2006 incarnations, talking to the camera by a wall that, in 1980, represented the perimeter of the US embassy in the Iranian capital.

Related posts:

1. Obama wows the mullahs
2. Bahari’s insights into real-life Iran

Channel4 News Blogs Snowblog

There are 4 comments on this post

1. John ellard 11 February 2009 at 8:44 pm

   Hi Jon,
   Superb to see the ‘old’ video of you in 1980-you really earned your money in those days- cushy number now in 2009 though???
   John Ellard
   ‘old’ mate

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   1. Dennis Junior 24 May 2009 at 3:05 am

      Jon,
      Saw the video….Thanks for the excellent reportage on the anniversary of yours…

      ~Dennis Junior~

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2. John Collinson Lamph 12 February 2009 at 11:33 pm

   Can’t remember casevac-ing you from Teheran Mr S, though I remember helping Mr J. (call me Sir) Simpson out of the country.. My most memorable moments – Saleh Square massacre & seeing the aftermath of the dreadful cinema fire in Aqwaz

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3. Snowblog - 1989-2009: broadcasting from Qom 24 April 2009 at 1:03 pm

   [...] place. I was there for the revolution, there too for the seizing of the American hostages and the abortive US military effort to release them. And many times [...]

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