Iran hostage crisis was an international incident between Iran and the United States. It began on Nov. 4, 1979, when Iranian revolutionaries seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran’s capital, and took a group of Americans hostage. Islamic revolutionaries had taken control of Iran’s government earlier in the year. The revolutionaries seized the U.S. Embassy after Iran’s former shah (king), Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was admitted into the United States. The revolutionaries wanted the shah returned to Iran to stand trial for crimes allegedly committed during his rule. The shah was not returned, and he died during the crisis. The last of the hostages were eventually released on Jan. 20, 1981. The Iran hostage crisis ended diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States. Images of the bound and blindfolded hostages dominated media coverage during the 444-day event.
Background.
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi became shah of Iran in 1941. During the early 1950’s, Iran became an important U.S. ally in the Middle East. Mohammad Reza, however, ruled as a dictator. Critics accused his regime of numerous crimes, as well as the denial of basic rights. In January 1979, the shah fled Iran after mass demonstrations, strikes, and riots against his rule. In February, revolutionaries established the Islamic Republic of Iran. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a leading Muslim scholar, became the new nation’s faqih, or supreme leader.
The crisis.
In October 1979, Mohammad Reza entered the United States for medical treatment. Because the shah was considered a criminal in Iran, his entry into the United States angered many Iranians. On November 4, hundreds of revolutionaries seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. They held a group of Americans, mainly embassy workers, as hostages. The revolutionaries were mostly students acting independently of the Iranian government. However, Khomeini praised the students, granting them official support. The revolutionaries held 63 Americans hostage at the U.S. Embassy. Three other Americans were held at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, where they were attending a meeting at the time of the embassy takeover.
The United States and many other countries denounced the embassy seizure as a violation of international law. They demanded the hostages be freed. The revolutionaries offered to do so if the United States returned the shah to Iran. The United States refused.
On November 19 and 20, Iran released 13 female and African American hostages. Iran claimed it took this action because those individuals had already suffered from oppression in American society. Iran also wanted to demonstrate the “special status” of women in Islamic society. Still, two women and one African American man—thought to be persons of some importance by the hostage takers—were not released. The United Nations Security Council and the International Court of Justice called for the release of the remaining hostages, but Iran refused. Mohammad Reza left the United States in December, but the crisis continued.
Soon after the U.S. Embassy seizure, six American diplomats who had avoided capture found refuge with the Canadian ambassador and members of his staff. The Canadians hid the Americans and helped them escape from Iran in late January 1980.
Hoping to force the Iranians to negotiate, the United States placed economic sanctions on Iran in early April. The sanctions included a costly embargo (restriction) on Iranian oil. The embargo resulted in gasoline shortages in the United States and elsewhere, but it failed to improve the hostage negotiations.
Later in April, the U.S. military attempted to rescue the hostages. A rescue force gathered in east-central Iran, but mechanical problems and bad weather caused the mission’s cancellation. Before the U.S. force could leave, however, two military aircraft collided, killing eight U.S. soldiers. To discourage further rescue attempts, Iran dispersed the hostages in small groups throughout the country. On July 11, Iran released one hostage due to illness, lowering the number in captivity to 52.
Mohammad Reza died on July 27. In September, Iran offered to free the hostages in return for billions of dollars of Iranian assets held in the United States. The U.S. government had earlier ordered Iranian assets in the United States to be frozen (made unavailable). Later in September, Iraq invaded Iran, beginning the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). The war further strained the Iranian economy.
The hostage situation carried a heavy political price for U.S. President Jimmy Carter. His popularity declined as the crisis dragged on, and Ronald Reagan easily defeated him in the November 1980 presidential election. Carter dedicated much of his remaining time in office to the hostage negotiations. Iran finally released the hostages on Jan. 20, 1981—the day Reagan took office.
Upon their release, the hostages returned home relatively unharmed. However, their long confinement was marked by mistreatment, stress, and threats of execution.
Aftermath.
The Iranian and U.S. governments have not had regular diplomatic relations since the hostage crisis. The United States and many other countries still consider Iran a “rogue nation”—that is, a nation that ignores international law and supports terrorism. In Iran, the date of the embassy takeover, November 4, is an official holiday. It is called the Day of National Confrontation against World Imperialism.
