Iran Hostage Crisis Essay

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

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.

The shah of Iran became really sick with lymphoma and President Carter allowed him to gain access into the U.S. for medical treatment. This action caused a lot of commotion in Iran and caused the Iranian Hostage Crisis.

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

In late 1979, Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran. They trapped ninety hostages. The Iranian militants demanded the return of Shah Reza Pahlavi. Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the Iranians, released some of the hostages but held 52 of them to use as pawns to get Pahlavi. In the Middle East, most hostages are released after a few days, but Carter was forced to start negotiations for their release.

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

Perhaps the number one event, that will cost Jimmy Carter his reelection for president was the Iranian Hostage Crisis that went on for approximately 444 days and held 52 American diplomat citizens hostage in Iran. Several Iranian students, stormed the American embassy on November 4, 1979. This had all occurred because the former, exiled, Shah of Iran had been permitted entry into the United States to receive medical treatment for cancer. In the 1950’s the Shah of Iran was appointed by the United States. He was a dictator, who ruled with violence and cruelty. The people of Iran, are traditionally Shiite Muslims and the Shah was taking Iran towards a more progressive society. This further upset the people of Iran who did not want their conservative

President Jimmy Carter was put in a difficult situation and his decisions only made United States and Iran relations worse. The revolution in Iran had become a reality when uprisings started. President Jimmy Carter had a choice to support either the Shah or the rising revolutionaries in Iran. There was no response from President Carter to the revolution, and it cost him. The cost came shortly after the Shah was exiled from Iran. The Shah sought refuge in the United States after his exile, and Carter had to choose whether he would interfere with the prosecution of the Shah. In the beginning, Carter refused to accept the Shah because of the anticipated reaction of the Iranian people. When President Carter discovered the Shah 's positive testing to cancer, the Shah requested treatment in the United States and thickened the dilemma. After much consideration and hesitation, Carter granted refuge to the Shah for treatment of his cancer. President Carter had imagined the possible consequences, but he was stunned on November 4th, 1979. The crisis had

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 crisis made the relations between the united States and Iran very bitter. The Iranians also developed strong and contempt feelings toward President Jimmy Carter. Carter failed at attempting to secure the hostages’ freedoms and that decreased his popularity. This crisis caused the Iranian Revolution to get moved along and become a bigger problem. An oil conflict also resulted because the United States then had trouble getting oil from Iran. After the hostage crisis, the U.S. then looked at Iranians as terrorists and did not have

From 1936 until 1979, Nicaragua was ruled by two dictators, Somoza Garcia and his son Anastasio Somoza Debayle until the Sandinista rebels seized power in 1979. The new regime sparked unpopular remarks among the Nicaraguans, giving rise to a counter-revolution, who later became known as the Contras. Because of the new regime’s support towards the Soviet stance, the Reagan administration decided to support the Contras and provide them with financial and material support. The year 1979 also witnessed the overthrow of Iran’s authoritarian ruler, Mohammad Raza Shah Pehlavi, commonly known as Shah. Shah’s relationship with the U.S. flourished over time as his government grew increasingly pro-Western as it sought to modernize the country and burnish its international image. However, as Shah’s relationship with the U.S. strengthened and his international profile grew, many of his own people grew dissatisfied with his leadership. In 1978, riots and demonstrations broke out across the country, and by 1979 these protests increased in frequency, power, and violence. Mohammad Raza Shah Pehlavi secular and U.S friendly government was replaced by fundamentalist radical, Ayatollah Khomeini. While Khomeini tried to break all ties with the U.S, the U.S. quickly tried to improve their relations with the new government. Iran was a key ally needed in the Middle East as it played a

In 1979, the United States of America was presented with a situation unlike any before: they received word that their embassy in Tehran, Iran, had been overtaken and all members of the embassy save six were being held hostage by Iranian revolutionaries. The road leading to this climactic period in American and Iranian history led back to almost thirty years of growing anti-American resentment. The Shah and the Supreme Ayatollah of Iran were at odds, creating a power struggle unlike any seen in modern history. The interaction of Western influence and Islamic culture and social structure reacted in an explosive way, culminating in what is now called the Iranian Hostage Crisis.

In the late 20th century, the government of the United States was going through a difficult time. Having just came out of World War II, the Soviet Union and the United States were in a state of political and military tension known as the Cold War. Little attention did the government of the United States give to the other issues at hand. While, in the Middle East there was a storm forming, the citizens of Iran were undergoing an evolution into a democratic government; breaking apart from it monarchical rule. During this extremely crucial phase for Iran, the U.S. and United Kingdom stepped in to overthrow this democratic development to strengthen their own agendas. In response to this corruption that caused oppression amongst the Iranian people, they rose up against the U.S. and held our citizen’s hostage. This was known as the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979. In this essay we will discuss how the evolving decisions and events that built up to the Iranian Hostage Crisis were due to a shortsightedness and lack of the understanding of people.

The United States of America does not have diplomatic relations with the Iran. To summarize the events that led to the current situation, The Islamic Republic of Iran established diplomatic relations with the United States of America in 1883, then known as Persia (Martin 19). Through the influence of the USA, the country came to establish a limited constitutional monarchy to help replace the dictatorial monarchy in 1906. In 1953, following the oppressive rule, there was a coup that overthrew the democratically elected prime minister, which was supported by the USA and its other ally United Kingdom. The coup was meant to establish a bilateral relationship between the two countries that could expand their economic and democratic relations.