As an American, imagine 444 days in captivity in a country were your not liked simply because you are an “American”. Imagine 444 days not knowing if you are going to make it back home in one piece. Imagine being rampaged by a radical group on foreign land thinking you were safe within the walls of a federal building, the US Embassy. Well, this was the case for 66 US Embassy employees during the “Iran hostage crises”.
On November 4, 1979, 66 Americans were taken hostage by a group of militant Iranian students who took over the US Embassy in Tehran, Iran. Thirteen days later Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini orders the release of 13 US hostages (women and African-Americans) and another for medical reasons, leaving a total of 52 hostages. The “Iran hostage crisis” was a tough situation for the US government because it showed a sign of weakness within our government and our country. With events that took place prior to the situation, could this hostage crisis have been avoided? With decades of bad blood already brewing between the United States and Iran, it could have.
For instance, in August of 1953 with the help of the US, Iran’s prime minister was overturned and replaced with Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (The Shah), a brutal and very hated dictator. Mohammad Reza was westernizing Iran and its people. He had little knowledge of where he came
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On the day of the attack, this group of militant Iranians where protesting outside the U.S. Embassy causing a major disturbance that quickly escalated to the capture of 66 Americans. The group of militant Iranians was protesting for the return of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi because he was in the U.S. seeking medical attention. It was also a dramatic way for the student revolutionaries to declare a break with Iran’s past and an end to American interference in its
Furthermore, the Shah purchased billions of dollars worth of weapons of security from the US. In 1979 the realm was overthrown by extreme Islam’s that were followers of Ayatollah Khomeini. The intention of the Iranian students was to display their displeasure against the Shah. Their demand was the return of the Shah for a trial followed by his death. In addition, they asked that the US stay out of their country’s affairs. Carter’s approach required the safeguarding of American hostages but also guaranteed an alliance with Iran. Carter’s tactics on the situation had devastating effects on his run for re-election (Hamilton, 1982).
The American public was so captivated by the Iran Hostage Crisis because they were blindsided by this radical action and their knowledge of America’s involvement in Iran was limited. The media played a major role in influencing their emotions and they already had trouble trusting the American government. This unknown involvement began in 1943 when President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin met in Tehran to discuss how to remove the British and Soviet military forces from Iran because Iran wanted to be its own nation. The United States aided the young Shah, the ruler of Iran, and his government with military weapons and loans. Over time, Prime Minister Mossadegh, of Iran, gained more and more power until he was the true ruler of Iran and the Shah was just a figurehead. The United States, fearing the spread of communism, devised a secret plan for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), to over throw Prime Minister Mossadegh.
On November 4th, 1979, a group of enraged of Islamic revolutionists invaded the United States Embassy in Tehran. They had taken 60 Americans hostage for 444 days until President Ronald Reagan had taken Oath of office. It was nearly minutes after Reagan had taken office that they were released. Ayatollah Khomeini enforced an anti-Western Islamic theocracy, overrode the pro-Western monarchy of the Shah of Iran. Iran had felt that the United States was interfering with their internal affairs. They feared that they would return the Shah to power. The Shah had fled to mexico and the doctors there had uncovered that he was suffering an aggressive cancer. With this recent discovery they pushed the Shah to be admitted into a
For most Americans, the story begins in 1979 with the Iranian Hostage Crisis, when a group of revolutionary university students took over the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran, and held 52 American diplomats, intelligence officers and Marines hostage for 444 days. But for most Iranians, and to fully understand the repercussions of this aforementioned event, the story begins almost three decades prior, in 1953. This was the year that the United States overthrew the recently established democracy in Iran, led by Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh. He had become very popular in the country for having the ambition to finally take advantage of the wealth that Iran needed to grow
The people of Iran became angry that the United States would allow the Shah to seek medical treatment in the US, and overtook the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Many of them feared that the United States planned to return to Iran and reinstate Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi as their leader, because of the close diplomatic ties that had been established with him. The United States had helped him to overthrow Iran’s Prime Minister during a power struggle in 1953 and modernize Iran (“The Hostage Crisis in Iran”). The Iranian protesters- many of whom were college students- took hostages, 66 of the hostages holding American citizenship, and refused to release them until the Unites States stopped helping the Shah and turned him over to them. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini decided to support the actions of the student protesters, and dissolved treaties that had been made with the Soviet Union and the United States, preventing international intervention towards the violent protests in Iran. Premier Mehdi Bazargan and most of the
Many were at first shocked then angry and when it was finally over they were relieved. They were shocked because how could a small mid-eastern country attack and capture Americans. They were also shocked that President Carter was not taking more decisive action. Then they were angry. The American people wanted a swift end to this catastrophe. Instead they received a long drawn out diplomatic discussion that resulted in nothing. Finally, when Reagan took office, they were relieved. The threat to the hostages was over and the problem had been dealt with. The men that had been captured and held by the Iranians had come home and there was no threat to any more lives. The situation had resolved itself with the new president in
The Iran Hostage Crisis was a discretionary standoff between Iran and the United States. In 1979, a group of Iranian students went to the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking more than 60 American hostages. Fifty-two hostages were held for 444 days, from November 4, 1979, to January 20, 1981. The reputation of Iran's leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, started to become awful as the Hostage Crisis kept going. Ayatollah Khomeini was the Iranian Shia Muslim religious leader and politician and he made several demands that needed to be met before the hostages were released. The Iran Hostage Crisis caused the United States to cut ties with Iran and was an exemplary demonstration of America’s resolve to ensure the safe return of our citizens.
According to Mark C. Carnes and John A. Garraty’s “The American Nation: A History of the United States”, “During World War II, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and later the United States occupied Iran and forced its pro-German shah into exile, replacing him with his twenty-two year old son, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi” (Carnes and Garraty). In the early 1950’s, executive power was relocated to the leftist Prime Minister Muhammad Mossadegh.
During Jimmy Carter’s presidency, from 1977 to 1981, the Iran hostage crisis took place. In 1979, young Islamic revolutionaries took more than 60 Americans hostage at the U.S. embassy in Tehran. The built up tensions were due the oil interest from western countries especially America after 1953. After the United States feared that the Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh would be getting closer to Moscow, the United States, or more specifically the CIA, overthrew him and put the Shah in his place. The Shah tried using his powers to start economic and social reforms to transform and westernize Iran. There was much disagreement and conflict with Iranian citizens due to the westernizing influence, and an uneven distribution of wealth after 1963.
“On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking more than 60 American hostages.”(Iran Hostage Crisis). This happened when the pro-american monarchy, the Shah, was overthrown in a revolution. The 6o Americans were held for 443 days and released on the 444th day of being captured. During this time, Carter’s foreign policy team seemed weak because it took so long for the hostages to be released. However, the plan was executed correctly. It was executed correctly in a sense that no more Americans were killed in this extensive year and a half long crisis. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was admitted into an American hospital for treatment because Pahlavi had recently developed cancer. In return, the new power
Nick: Nick does not remember anything about the hostage situation. I found that on November 4, 1979, an angry mob of some 300 to 500 "students" who called themselves "Imam's Disciples," laid siege to the American Embassy in Teheran, Iran, to capture and hold hostage 66 U.S. citizens and diplomats. Although women and African-Americans were released a short time later, 51 hostages remained imprisoned for 444 days with another individual released because of illness midway through the ordeal (Iran Contra Affair).
On November 4th, 1979, nearly 3,000 militant student stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran taking in 63 American hostages. Iran freed 13 hostages consisting of women and African Americans, but retained custody of the remaining 53 personnel. (Lambert 2015) After a grueling five months of failed negotiations, President Jimmy Carter approved the U.S. military to
The Iran Hostage Crisis lasted for 444 days and went from 4 November 1979 to 20 January 1981. This crisis happened only after a long time friend and ally, the Shah of Iran, was ousted from power and left Iran in January 1979. A revolutionary leader named Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini came to power in Iran when he returned in February 1979. Khomeini started rhetoric against the United States as the "Great Satan" that provided young Iranian students a reason to storm the U.S. Embassy and take 66 people hostage. Fourteen people where released during the hostage crisis leaving 52 remaining. (1)
There is a heightened crisis for the Algerian and foreign hostages currently in Algeria. Arthur Bright presents the issue in his article “Algerian Hostage Crisis heightens as Scores are Reported Dead” in the Christian Science Monitor on January 17, 2013. The same issue is discussed by Jamie Dettmer in his article “Hostages Reportedly Dead in Algerian Oil Field , Siege” which was posted on the Daily Beast on January 17, 2013. The authors discuss the number of hostages which are increasing and so are the endangerment of their lives. Bright and Dettmer present the severity of the hostage issue in Algeria by employing the techniques of word choice, sentence structure and organization; although both authors discuss the same issue and use the same
Argo is an Academy Award winning movie, directed by Ben Affleck. The movie shows the first couple months of the Iran Hostage Crisis. Argo is a hollywoodized way of showing the true events of the escape and rescue of the six United States diplomats during the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Subsequently there has been various documentaries made based on the events of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, one of the best ones to date is Argo: Inside Story.