An event celebrating the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Bethesda was cancelled after the owners hosting the event were informed that it is illegal to do business with Iran, The Washington Post reported.
The event, which was billed as the "Twenty Sixth anniversary of the glorious victory of the Islamic Revolution and Death to America Day," was scheduled for Sunday at the Bethesda Marriott, according to Activist Chat, an Iranian dissident group based in the United States.
Feb. 11 is an Iranian national holiday that celebrates the fall of Shah Mohammad Reza Palavi in 1979.
"For them to come celebrate the anniversary of their glorious revolution in the United States is just wrong," said Iman Foroutan, director of Activist Chat and other dissident groups, The Post reported. "If they allowed this, I would not be surprised if al Qaeda celebrated their next anniversary in the heart of New York."
John Wolf, a Marriott spokesman, told The Post that the hotel chain would "be taking steps" to prevent similar mishaps from happening in the future.
The Iranian interests section in the United States sponsored the event because there is no Iranian embassy in this country. Rather, Iran operates an interests section within the Pakistani embassy.
Iran and the United States have not had diplomatic relations since revolutionaries held American diplomats hostage for 444 days with the tacit approval of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979.
