Anti-American murals unveiled outside ex-US Embassy in Tehran

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The former U.S. Embassy in Tehran got a new coat of paint ahead of the 40th anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the compound -- and it’s virulently anti-American.

The murals painted on the exterior walls were unveiled Saturday to light fanfare.

One of the paintings is a depiction of a mutilated Statue of Liberty, the arm holding the torch severed and lying nearby.

People walk past a satirical drawing of Statue of Liberty after new anti-U.S. murals on the walls of former U.S. embassy unveiled in a ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Another is a satirical drawing of the Great Seal of the United States, with the eagle holding bullets and drug needles in its claws instead of an olive branch and 13 arrows. Above the eagle, a red-and-white Star of David has replaced the blue-and-white constellation of stars.

People walk past a satirical drawing of the Great Seal of the United States after new anti-U.S. murals on the walls of former U.S. embassy unveiled in a ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

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A third mural depicts the Iranian downing of a U.S. drone, illustrated with bats flying out of it.

A woman walks past a new anti-U.S. mural on the wall of former U.S. embassy portraying the interception of Global Hawk US drone by Iran in Persian Gulf, after an unveiling ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Pedestrians were photographed walking by the murals on Saturday.

An Iranian woman walks past a new mural painted on the walls of the former US embassy in the capital Tehran on November 2, 2019. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

The murals were painted as part of Iran’s commemoration of the embassy takeover 40 years ago. A rally is set for Monday in front of the compound.

Iranians walk past a new mural painted on the walls of the former US embassy in the capital Tehran on November 2, 2019. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

The embassy in downtown Tehran remains frozen in time since 1979, when revolutionary students took over the compound after Washington allowed ousted Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to leave the country and travel to the U.S. for medical treatment.

An Iranian woman holding a baby walks past a new mural painted on the walls of the former US embassy in the capital Tehran on November 2, 2019. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

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One of those students, Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, told The Associated Press that he regrets the seizure of the diplomatic compound and the 444-day hostage crisis that followed.

Asgharzadeh cautioned others against following in his footsteps, despite the takeover becoming enshrined in hard-line mythology.

In this Oct. 29, 2019, photo, Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, one of the Iranian student leaders of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover, speaks in an interview with The Associated Press, in Tehran, Iran. Asgharzadeh says he now regrets the seizure of the diplomatic compound and the 444-day hostage crisis that followed. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

"Like Jesus Christ, I bear all the sins on my shoulders," Asgharzadeh said.

In the years since, he has become a reformist politician and served prison time for his views. He has argued that Iran should work toward improving ties with the U.S., a difficult task amid President Trump's hawkish stance toward Tehran.

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"It is too difficult to say when the relations between Tehran and Washington can be restored," Asgharzadeh said. "I do not see any prospect."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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