U.S. Den of Espionage (a.k.a. Former U.S. Embassy) – Tehran, Iran

We spent the last two days in Iran, in the capital city of Tehran, visiting palaces, mosques, museums and the Former U.S Embassy, now referred to as the U.S. Den of Espionage. Yumi tried to sweet talk the guard into allow us on the grounds of the Former U.S. Embassy, but the guard clearly stated the building was off limits to visitors, unless special permission from the government was granted. Our visit was limited to walking around the compound. The compound walls displayed some anti-American slogans, but most of them where starting to fade. Iran refers to the compound as the U.S. Den of Espionage, because of the secret documents found in the Embassy during the siege in 1979. The Iranian government was being spied on by the American government.

Overall, visiting Iran was very enlightening. From a western eye, I'd say Iran is awaiting some major cultural and governmental reforms, especially with two-thirds of the population under the age of 30. On the other hand, the current, conservative government has a huge financial arsenal from oil revenue. The financial arsenal may be able to keep the masses happy and content for a number of years to come, protracting such reforms.