TEHRAN (AFP) — Thousands of young Iranians proclaimed "Death to America" on Sunday as they celebrated the 28th anniversary of the storming of the US embassy in Tehran by student radicals.

A massive crowd, composed mainly of schoolchildren bussed in to central Tehran, gathered outside the site of the former US embassy, known locally as the "Den of Spies."

"Death to America! Death to Israel!" the young people shouted, wearing bibs that depicted the burning of the US and Israeli flags.

Interior Minister Mostafa Pour Mohammadi, in a keynote address, hailed the embassy seizure as "a great and glorious event" from which Iranians were still drawing inspiration...

..."By being here I am doing my religious duty, and by being here I am saying I hate the bullying powers, especially the United States and Israel," said 18-year-old seminary student Esmaeel Mohammadi.

Reihaneh Deqipour, 16, said: "My coming here is a sign I am ready to defend my country and slap the United States in the face, and I'm ready to defend the country to the last drop of my blood.

"Relations with the United States are fine as long as we are equals," she added...