The Siege of the Iranian Embassy Essay

There was once time of prosperity and hope in this great nation. A time where it seemed that nothing could go wrong and a time that America seemed to be on top of the world as a powerhouse; however, by the late 1970’s, that time was no more. America went from an economic powerhouse to a country struggling to survive. America went from the land of the free and the home of the brave to citizens having no identity of patriotism following the Vietnam War. America went from doing the attacking and righting the wrong in the world, to being harassed and taken advantage of. This harassment is told through David Farber’s novel, Taken Hostage, which details the hostage takeover that involved sixty-six American citizens who had to endure 444 agonizing days of being taken hostage because America was no longer in control. During the time of the Iranian hostage crisis, Americans were held back by the tragedy for numerous reasons, many of which stem from the immediate reaction of combined shock and frustration towards the United States Government and President Carter, a lack of knowledge of the ongoing strained relationship between the two countries, and finally, the surprising tension and ineffectiveness of the Carter Administration’s foreign policy.

The Persian War was fought by the Greeks and the Persians, and if the Greeks lost, we would not have democracy, science, or education. The war was started when the Greeks helped rebels in a city state near Persia burn a Persian city. The Greeks used strategy and their surroundings to their advantage to win the Persian War. The Persian War had three main battles: Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis

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

had been formed. As they met at the church of St. Louis, the King was delayed

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.

“We remember the kindness more than ever, knowing that our relatives who immigrated to this country after the iranian revolution did not encounter the same america.”(with a little help from my friends, pg 97). This is a quote of a women who visited america before the iranian revolution.

The Persian Wars, involving Persia and Greece, occurred in 480 and 490 BCE. Persia invaded Greece as she tried to expand her land into their territory. King Darius had already led Persia to gradually expand into Europe with Iona, Macedonia, and Thrace in her possession. The next place on King Darius’ list was Athens and the remainder of Greece.

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

The First Persian War took place at the Battle of the Marathon near Athens and it was known as one of the infamous battle between the Athenians and the Persians. In 501 B.C.E., a Greek tyrant named Aristogorus provoked the Persian rulers by instigating an uprising in Miletus and Ionia to revolt against the Persian Empire. In order to ward off the Persian Empire’s wrath, Aristogorus reached out to his compatriots on the mainland in Greece of Athens and Sparta. “Sparta refused, but Athens sent twenty ships-enough just to anger the Persians, but not to save Miletus.” Nevertheless, the Athenians conquered the Persian’s capital of Lydian in Sardis in order to steal the golds, but they accidentally ended up burning down the richest capital of Sardis.

We had many revolutionary wars that shaped our world into becoming what it is today. The Persian Wars were one of those unforgettable events that inspired not only our military structure but government as well. The Persian Wars lasted for almost half a decade from 498 BCE to 448 BCE between the Persian Empire, of course, and Greek poleis. The war was centered around expanding the Empire of Persia as it claimed and took over land within battle and then ruling it as one while making a profit from it. Most of what we know about the Persian wars was written by Herodotus, who was born 484 BCE and gives us our primary source of what really took place during that time.

Paradise is a concept used to describe a state of peace and joy, with misery referring to distress and unhappiness. Paradise and misery are distinctly opposite, yet the Jewish population of Iran has encountered both in the past. Iranian attitudes towards Jews have changed throughout time, at points permitting them religious equality. In spite of the Iranian Jews being foreigners to this unfamiliar country, they established successful lives for themselves. They built a Jewish education for their children, at times withstanding heavy persecution.

The Prisoner by Robert Muchamore and Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat have many differences, but also many similarities. The first is evident by the title of the novel: In both novels the protagonist is a prisoner in a oppressive regime. The second similarity I would like to discuss is that both protagonists are teenagers, who have little real life experience and finally the fact that the protagonist from each novel are one of very few that survived the situation they were in. Differences are plenty.

Thomas W. Lentz argues that in Timurid Iran and Central Asia, gardens invoked power, legitimacy and memory.

This quote is very deep, at least I think that. The quote I chose is, “We remember the kindness more than ever, knowing that our relatives who immigrated to this country after the Iranian Revolution did not encounter the same America”. This quote is oh so very true for so many reasons. The American people don’t like any kind of people from Iran, however the things they say to them are unneeded.

Robin Wright’s humanized unraveling of political tales fall nothing short of their content, and “Tehran’s Promise” is an excellent example. The article works as an epilogue to a two-year long diplomacy following three decades of turmoil between Iran and the United States.