Chanting "Death to Italy, Death to Berlusconi", about 100 Iranians hurled stones, eggs, and tomatoes at the Italian embassy in protest of Italy's decision to reduce dealings with an increasingly nuclear-capable Iran.

The protests came following Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi's announcement that Italy – Iran's biggest business partner in the European Union – will seek tougher sanctions on Iran, and will reduce its economic relationship with the country. The statements were made during Premier Berlusconi's visit to Israel a week ago.

The Associated Press reported that the angry mob attempted to enter the embassy, but was prevented from doing so by police. Similar protests also occurred at the French and Dutch embassies, according to the news organization. The anti-Italian protest was broadcast on television.

Memories of 1979
University students conducted the demonstration in the afternoon in downtown Tehran. The French and Italian embassies, which are next door to each other, were accused by the crowd of supporting opposition to President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme spiritual leader. The protestors demanded that Iran cut off relations with the countries, and made lightly veiled references to a 1979 student takeover of the US embassy in Tehran, which entailed 52 US diplomats being taken hostage for 444 days, and the deaths of 8 American soldiers.

The anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, in which the pro-American Shah Mohammed Rezi Palavi was ousted by the anti-Western Islamic movement led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, will be celebrated in Iran on Thursday.