The Iran Hostage Crisis Essay

The United States history during 1977 to 1989 went through two presidencies and whirlwind of events happened. When President Jimmy Carter became president he wanted to lower the inflation rates to make life easier for the people of the United States. While that was his goal it got completely derailed. Near the end of Jimmy Carters presidency, a group of Iranian students took over the U.S Embassy in Tehran and took people hostage. Over the course of the 444 days the hostages where held captive while the people of the United States voted for a new president to help lead them into a new direction. The people voted for Ronald Reagan. While he was president things didn’t go as he planned as well. The issues with Iran did not calm down and escalated to something bigger. After the Iran hostage crisis, the US had another issues with Iran and it was the Iran- Contra affair. During this essay I will be talking about the book called “Taken Hostage” by David Farber and the information in the book. The book is about the time frame of Jimmy Carter’s presidency and the issues with Iran and the hostage crisis. The second half of my essay is towards President Ronald Reagan’s and the issues about the Iran- Contra affair and the lasting issues between Iran and the United states.

The Iranian hostage crisis was one of the most dramatic events in a series of problems that took place during President Jimmy Carter’s term. The crisis, beginning in November of 1979, received the most coverage of any major event since World War II. It was one of many problems faced in light of the United State’s complex relationship with Iran. The effects on both the US and Iran were astronomical, especially politically as well as economically and socially. It took a heavy toll on American relations with the Middle East and changed the way we engage in foreign affairs. In light of this crisis, Iran started an international war that we are still fighting thirty-two years later.

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

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

On the first day of his presidency 66 American diplomats that were held hostage in Iran for 444 days were released. The 444 day period of captivity of is referred to as the “Iranian Hostage Crisis”. Due to how Jimmy Carter, the President at the time, stretched the boundaries set by the new Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini this situation ruined the relationship with a major gas and oil provider, Iran. While Reagan was in office he appointed Sandra Day O’Connor, a woman, to

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.

The Iranian Hostage Crisis wasn’t the result of a spontaneous uproar of the Iranian people in an overtaking of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran. Rather, the crisis was the result of a lengthy series of chaotic events that caused many of the Iranian people to develop a severe hatred of the United States.

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.

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)

When news of the event came light to the United States they imminently went to action to fly 4,099 people out of the country. Throughout the year tensions were still at a high, but when the United States Allowed Shah to travel to the united states for cancer treatment. The Iranians were out raged at the action of the United States so in doing so the Iranians again seized control of the embassy. 66 U.S. personnel were taken hostage, later 13 were let go leaving only 53 to remain in the embassy. All through President James E. Carter, Jr. term he tried varies attempts to release the U.S. hostages but none were successful. Soon afterwards President

The Shah arrived in New York City on October 22, 1979, and the response in Iran was nothing out of the ordinary. However on November 4th, 1979, 3,000 Muslim students, some armed, took control of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran and took 65 American Diplomates as hostage. The hostage takers that were muslim students urged that America releases Mohammad Reza Pahlavi back to Iran, to which he would have been put on trial and possibly executed. The United States was not going to and did not had over the Shah as he was in America for medical attention. The hostage takers also wanted the U.S to apologize for the interference in Iran's internal affairs. One example of America's interference was it was primarily responsible for the overthrow of Prime Minister Mosaddegh; this was not necessary. The last reason for the attack is that Iran wanted their frozen assets in America to be released

The Iran Hostage Crisis, the beginning of United States interactions with Islamic extremists and economic reform in the middle east lasted from 1979 to 1981. The birth of these extremists lies in the economic policies of the United States and the middle east. The Shah, who was the supreme leader of the nation of Iran, was an ally of the United States for several decades. Despite his support from the U.S. government, he was known as a brutal leader who used excessive force and torture of his people, mostly Iranian students who spoke out against him. After decades of death, torture, abuse and other heinous crimes against humanity, the people of Iran began supporting Ayatollah Khomeini, a fundamentalist. To force events to transpire quicker, students took action by attacking the United States embassy and capturing hostages. These protestors saw the embassy as a physical representation of support for the Shah and his oppressive and cruel regime. The Americans who were working in the embassy on that day were taken hostage. What was suspected as being a relatively short hostage situation

For days, military flights brought thousands of Americans out of Iran and into safe countries until on February 10th 1979, Iranians closed the Mehrahad Airport putting a halt on the evacuation of Americans. In response, the Joint Chiefs of Staff were planning and organizing a rescue and support mission to the U.S. Embassy in Iran. Before the rescue and evacuation mission could begin, armed Iranians took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 102 Americans hostage. Khomeini security returned the hostages and embassy while also getting the airport to be reopened.2

On November 4th 1979, Iranian revolutionary students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Teheran and took 52 Americans and some military personnel hostage. The students would only release the hostages if America would hand over the Shah to receive trial and most likely execution along with no more interfering in Iranian affairs.3 Many rescue mission attempts, blocking resources, and compromising with Iran gave little to no hope to retrieve the hostages and bring piece. “Under enormous political pressure, on November 12th, President Jimmy Carter ordered the pentagon to begin drawing up plans for a daring – read: foolhardy – rescue mission codenamed “Operation Eagle Claw”.3

Therefore, the Iranians response was to promise to discharge the hostages safely back to the US government. Instead of the initial plan taking place, it was deteriorated to arm-hostages Scheme. The group in the executive branch turned a peaceful negotiation into a marketplace. These members sold weapons to the Iranian group in exchange of the hostages captured.