The middle east, or more specifically Iran, has long been known for being ill at rest with the rest of the world and is also known for it 's sometimes violent means of negotiation in order to get what it wants. In November 1979 at the end of President Jimmy Carter 's term as President of the United States a group of 300-500 Islamic students known as “Imam 's Disciples” took over the United States embassy in Tehran, Iran. These students took over sixty American citizens hostage and held them for a total of 444 days. This event harbored more press coverage than any other event since World War II. In order to understand the reasoning behind this mass kidnapping and hostage taking, one must first look into the political climates of both …show more content…
The Shah ended the uprising by exiling the leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, to Iraq. This was the beginning of Iran 's Islamic revolution. After the run in with the Islamic clergy, the Shah remained friendly with the United States even though there was a growing movement to remove him as the head of Iran. In 1979 the Shah, facing growing dissent and being labeled as anti-Islamic, fled to Egypt to get away from the uprising. It was then, after fourteen years, that Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran. Little did anyone know, the Shah had been suffering from cancer and needed medical assistance to treat it. After much resistance and fearing the backlash from Iran, President Carter allowed the Shah to come to the United States for treatment. It was then that the United States embassy was attacked and the hostages taken. The incident began with the several hundred Iranian students posted outside of the embassy in protest of the United States taking in the Shah, their enemy. These students eventually breached the gates of the embassy, finding a weak point in one of the windows and pulling down a few bars in order to get in. In the mean time, those within the embassy were making phone calls and attempting to get immediate assistance. The calls were all in vain, as no one was prepared with
In January 1979, Iranians opposed to the Shah’s rule invaded the American embassy in Tehran and held a group of 52 American diplomats and other hostages for 444 days. The Shah left Iran and the victorious Ayatollah Khomeini returned that February. Of the approximately 90 people inside the embassy, 52 remained in captivity until the end of the crisis. The reputation of the Ayatollah Khomeini and the hostage taking was further enhanced with the failure of a hostage rescue attempt that cost lives. The Ayatollah Khomeini set forth several demands to be met prior to the release of the hostages. The US had options of their own; however, the risk to the hostages required the utmost consideration. In order to secure their freedom, outgoing
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
In his 1979 state of the Union Address, President Jimmy Carter stated “We have no desire to be the world's policeman. But America does want to be the world's peacemaker.” However, nearing the end of Carter’s presidency the peace within the American Embassy located in Tehran, Iran was broken. 53 Americans were taken hostage by Iranian militants on November 4th 1979. The Iranian Hostage Crisis caused a loss of American confidence, caused Americans to view middle easterners differently forever, and also cost Jimmy Carter the chance of a second term.
During his presidency, the Iran Hostage Crisis started when the Shah of Iran was overthrown from power and left Iran in January 1979. The United States supported the Shah as an ally of the United States from 1953 to 1979, even though he was excessive with punishments to the Iranian people. A radical leader named Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini came to power in Iran when Shah returned in February 1979. Khomeini started major problems against the United States, known as the “Great Satan”. This group gave young Iranian students a reason to storm the U.S. Embassy and take 66 people hostage. The Iran Hostage Crisis, which lasted from 1979 to 1981, was the first time the United States was forced to deal with Islamic
Iranians believed that Pahlevi should be returned to Iran to face charges for his actions. The conflict lasted 444 days due to Khomeini’s support of situation. It was used as a bargaining chip to unfreeze the Shah's assets and return them to Iran. Furthermore, Khomeini demanded that the Shah was returned to Iran to face trial for his actions. "Khomeini accused the U.S. of exploiting Iran’s resources and money. He claimed that because of U.S. exploitation, Iranians were forced to engage in a revolution where Iranian blood was
On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students barged inside the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took more than 60 Americans hostages. This gave the Ronald Reagan the opportunity and the advantage of President Carter’s difficulties. There were rumors that circulated that the Reagan campaign staff negotiated with the Iranian people to be sure the American hostages not be released before the election which Ronald Reagan was running against President Carter. On Election Day, it has been one year and two days since the Americans were captive, Ronald Reagan defeated Carter in the presidential by a landslide. On January 21, 1981, just a few hours after the new President Ronald Reagan delivered his inaugural speech, the remaining American hostages were released. President Reagan has always denied the allegations with the negotiation with the Iranian people.
On the morning of November 4, 1979, revolutionary Muslim students overtook security at the United States embassy in Tehran, Iran and occupied the building, taking everyone inside hostage. For the next 444 days the United States stood paralyzed with fear and anger as the diplomats were held as prisoners. Immediately after the capture of the sixty-five Americans public pressure began to mount on the government to bring the captured citizens back home. President Jimmy Carter responded by slapping sanctions on Iran and negotiating for the return of the hostages. At the same time he faced a reelection battle in 1980 that certainly affected his response to the crisis, especially standing next to Ronald Reagan, who favored shows of force to
The relationship between the American people and their government drastically changed in the 1970s. The people began to distrust their government after The Watergate Scandal, oil prices, and the falling economy. President Jimmy Carter, elected in 1976 was seen by the public as an honest man that was working for the people not for the evils of Washington DC. Carter, being an outsider, grew very popular with the American people. His lack of insider perspective became troublesome when he could not explain his clear motives and direction he was taking America. This not only caused tension within his own administration, but also caused the American people to regain the feeling of mistrust they once felt with Nixon
for cancer treatment. The specific reasons for the Iran Hostage Crisis were the oil conflict, Iranian Revolution, U.S. overthrow of government, and forced modernization. These things created a lot of tension between Iran and the U.S. The oil conflict was the start to creating tension between the United states and Iran. The United States controlled Iran's oil, and Iran's minister wanted to nationalize the oil supply. The US and Britain did not want that to happen so they created a plan to overthrow the prime minister and get someone who would support their interests in oil. Finally, the Shah was their new leader and had close ties with the US. The Shah was replaced by Ayatollah Khomeini and the United States started to get away from Iran. Ayatollah Khomeini formed anti-American groups that held more than sixty people hostage from the American embassy. The people from Iran did not like Americans getting involved with their government. Since the Shah was able to come to the United States and get his treatment, it made the Iranian’s think that the United States was helping him out. That was the final straw to cause the students and militants from Iran to
Along with the loss of voters due to economic policy, many Americans blamed Carter for the Iran hostage crisis that begun in November of 1979. The newly formed government of Iran believed that America was not in support of this change and would plan for a government of their choosing to be put in place. It was believed that this was being planned in the American embassy. To prevent this situation from happening, an invasion planned by Iranian politician Ebrahim Asghazadeh was carried out early in the morning of November 4th 1979. Around 400 Muslim Students were gathered and overran the security and took the embassy hostage. The situation escalated during Carter’s continuing presidency as he approved a rescue mission known as Operation Eagle Claw. This mission would soon fail due to numerous problems with the helicopters and eight American servicemen would loose their lives and many would be injured. The failed mission would soon become public and as Carter would tell the American people about the attempt his political popularity would take a large hit and re-election did not seem possible for Carter. The crisis would go on to be resolved after Carter had already lost the presidency. During the final days of
“Because his American-supplied army and his American-trained secret police kept the shah in power, his opponents hated the United States almost as much as they hated their autocratic ruler. The shah’s rule was not one of constant decency” (Carnes and Garraty). From 1977 to 1979, Iran grew more and more unstable, as the Iranian people’s hatred of the shah further intensified. 1977 saw numerous riots, along with both the wounding and even killing of large numbers of the Iranian people. The Iranian people finally rose up against the shah in 1978, by January of the next year the shah was forced to flee. “A revolutionary government headed by a religious leader, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, assumed power. He that freedom was an enemy of Islam, as well as that Islam condoned terror. Khomeini denounced the United States as the “Great Satan” whose support of the shah, he said, had caused the Iranian people untold suffering” (Carnes and Garraty). Upon his exile, the shah was dying of cancer, after seeking refuge in numerous countries he was finally given refuge in the United States. The Iranian people wouldn’t have it, and began protesting outside the U.S. Embassy demanding the shah be returned, tried, and hanged. The Iranian Hostage Crisis was quickly approaching.
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).
November 4, 1979, the United States was in a state of panic, as roughly 60 Americans working at the US embassy in Tehran were captured by Iranian students. While the cause of this event is not singular, many believe it was primarily due to President Carter’s decision to allow displaced leader Mohammed Reza Pahlavi into the United States for medical treatment. Iran was enraged and had had enough of the US interfering with their internal affairs. So, they did what they believed would send the most impactful message, and the Iranian hostage crisis began.