TEHRAN - In a statement released to commemorate the 43rd anniversary of the failed U.S. Operation Eagle Claw intended to liberate the American diplomats held in Iran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry referred to the event as an “aggressive action and violation of international regulations.”

The statement called on the U.S. government to “reflect on and learn from the results of this action and more than four decades of hostile approaches and actions against the resistant and proud nation of Iran.”

To release diplomats, U.S. soldiers approached Tabas in South Khorasan Province in April 1980. However, a dust and sandstorm caught them off guard at night. 

Relations between Iran and the United States were strained as a result of the event, which had important political repercussions.

“The day of April 25, 1980, reminds the U.S. forces of their violation of the territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran and their illegal entry to Tabas in the eastern Iranian province of South Khorasan,” the statement said, adding that fortunately “the aggressive measure taught the U.S. a bitter lesson as its forces faced a salutary failure during their 1980 operation in Iran’s Tabas.”

Additionally, Iran reaffirmed its determination to strengthening cordial ties and international cooperation while neutralizing American threats and sanctions.

Iran’s commitment to safeguarding national independence and achieving all-around growth was reiterated in the statement’s conclusion.

The military operation, which proved a fiasco for Washington, took place on April 25, 1980, when Jimmy Carter ruling the United States.

A sandstorm hit and brought down the group of U.S. military aircraft in the Tabas Desert, killing eight American servicemen and resulting in the failure of the mission. Inspections showed a helicopter crashed into a C-130 Hercules transport plane as five other choppers were stranded in the storm.

The units involved in the operation were from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps.

Many believe the military failure played a major role in Carter’s defeat in the 1980 presidential election.

Iran commemorates the event every year as a symbol of the failure of U.S. plots against the Islamic Republic.