Back أزمة رهائن إيران Arabic İran girov böhranı Azerbaijani Захоп амерыканскіх заложнікаў у Іране Byelorussian Криза с американски заложници в Иран (1979 – 1981) Bulgarian ইরান জিম্মি সংকট Bengali/Bangla Crisi dels ostatges a l'Iran Catalan Americká rukojmí v Íránu Czech Argyfwng gwystlon Iran Welsh Geiselnahme von Teheran German Κρίση των ομήρων στο Ιράν (1979) Greek

Iran hostage crisis

This article is about the siege of the American embassy in Tehran. For the siege of the Iranian embassy in London, see Iranian Embassy siege.

Iran hostage crisis
Part of the consolidation of the Iranian Revolution

Iranian students crowd the U.S. Embassy in Tehran (November 4, 1979)
DateNovember 4, 1979 – January 20, 1981
(444 days)
Location
Tehran, Iran
Result

Hostages released by Algiers Accords

Belligerents

 Iran

Commanders and leaders

The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic standoff between Iran and the United States. Fifty-three American diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, including Hossein Dehghan (future Iranian Minister of Defense), Mohammad Ali Jafari (future Revolutionary Guards Commander-In-Chief) and Mohammad Bagheri (future Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Army),[3][4] took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran[5][6] and took them as hostages. The hostages were held for 444 days, from November 4, 1979 to their release on January 20, 1981. The crisis is considered a pivotal episode in the history of Iran–United States relations.[7]

Western media described the crisis as an "entanglement" of "vengeance and mutual incomprehension".[8] U.S. President Jimmy Carter called the hostage-taking an act of "blackmail" and the hostages "victims of terrorism and anarchy".[9] In Iran, it was widely seen as an act against the U.S. and its influence in Iran, including its perceived attempts to undermine the Iranian Revolution and its long-standing support of the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown in 1979.[10] After Shah Pahlavi was overthrown, he was granted asylum and admitted to the U.S. for cancer treatment. The new Iranian regime demanded his return in order to stand trial for the crimes he was accused of committing against Iranians during his rule through his secret police. These demands were rejected, which Iran saw as U.S. complicity in those abuses. The U.S. saw the hostage-taking as an egregious violation of the principles of international law, such as the Vienna Convention, which granted diplomats immunity from arrest and made diplomatic compounds inviolable.[11][12][13][14] The Shah left the U.S. in December 1979 and was ultimately granted asylum in Egypt, where he died from complications of cancer at age 60 on July 27, 1980.

Six American diplomats who had evaded capture were rescued by a joint CIA–Canadian effort on January 27, 1980. The crisis reached a climax in early 1980 after diplomatic negotiations failed to win the release of the hostages. Carter ordered the U.S. military to attempt a rescue mission – Operation Eagle Claw – using warships that included USS Nimitz and USS Coral Sea, which were patrolling the waters near Iran. The failed attempt on April 24, 1980, resulted in the death of one Iranian civilian and the accidental deaths of eight American servicemen after one of the helicopters crashed into a transport aircraft. U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance resigned his position following the failure. In September 1980, Iraq invaded Iran, beginning the Iran–Iraq War. These events led the Iranian government to enter negotiations with the U.S., with Algeria acting as a mediator.

Political analysts cited the standoff as a major factor in the continuing downfall of Carter's presidency and his landslide loss in the 1980 presidential election.[15] The hostages were formally released into United States custody the day after the signing of the Algiers Accords, just minutes after American President Ronald Reagan was sworn into office. In Iran, the crisis strengthened the prestige of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the political power of theocrats who opposed any normalization of relations with the West.[16] The crisis also led to American economic sanctions against Iran, which further weakened ties between the two countries.[17]

  1. ^ Clark, Mark Edmond (2016). "An Analysis of the Role of the Iranian Diaspora in the Financial Support System of the Mujaheddin-e-Khalid". In David Gold (ed.). Microeconomics. Routledge. pp. 66–67. ISBN 978-1-317-04590-8. Following the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran, the MEK participated physically at the site by assisting in defending it from attack. The MEK also offered strong political support for the hostage-taking action.
  2. ^ Buchan, James (2013). Days of God: The Revolution in Iran and Its Consequences. Simon and Schuster. p. 257. ISBN 978-1-4165-9777-3.
  3. ^ "The Bagheri Brothers: One in Operations, One in Intelligence". Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  4. ^ "What Became of Those Who Seized the US Embassy in Tehran". March 9, 2024.
  5. ^ Penn, Nate (November 3, 2009). "444 Days in the Dark: An Oral History of the Iran Hostage Crisis". GQ. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  6. ^ Sahimi, Muhammad (November 3, 2009). "The Hostage Crisis, 30 Years On". Frontline. PBS. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  7. ^ Kinzer, Stephen (October 2008). "Inside Iran's Fury". Smithsonian Magazine. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  8. ^ Skow, John (January 26, 1981). "The Long Ordeal of the Hostages". Time. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  9. ^ "Air Force Magazine" (PDF). Air Force Magazine. April 5, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 27, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  10. ^ Kinzer, Stephen. "Thirty-five years after Iranian hostage crisis, the aftershocks remain". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  11. ^ "Doing Satan's Work in Iran" (PDF). The New York Times. November 6, 1979. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  12. ^ Kinzer, Stephen (2003). All The Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
  13. ^ Nalle, David (2003). "All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror". Middle East Policy. 10 (4): 148–155.
  14. ^ Pryce-Jones, David (2003). "A Very Elegant Coup". National Review. 55 (17): 48–50.
  15. ^ "Reagan's Lucky Day: Iranian Hostage Crisis Helped The Great Communicator To Victory". CBS News. January 21, 2001. Archived May 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  16. ^ Mackey, Sandra (1996). The Iranians: Persia, Islam and the Soul of a Nation. New York: Dutton. p. 298. ISBN 9780525940050
  17. ^ "A Review Of US Unilateral Sanctions Against Iran". Mafhoum. August 26, 2002. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2016.

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