Iran Hostage Crisis Research Paper
Iran Hostage Crisis In the early morning of November 4, 1979 an angry mob of Islamic revolutionaries overran the US Embassy in Tehran, “the group called themselves the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line” (History, Unknown). The Iran Hostage Crisis was also known as “Conquest of the American Spy Den” which is the literal translation from Persian to English (Lee). From November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days in various locations around Iran to make it hard for the United States government to know exactly where the hostages were located (Amies). After failed attempts to negotiate the release of the hostages, the United States attempted to rescue the hostages. In 1979, Iran revolutionists
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took over the US Embassy in Tehran capturing 52 Americans for 444 days; the crisis demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the Carter administration in handling foreign affairs (Amies). The Iran Hostage Crisis weakened Iran-United States relations and marked the beginning of many legal actions and sanctions against Iran that affected the United States economy and government (Katzman). In the morning of November 4, 1979 around 300 to 500 students gathered to discuss the plans of takeover of the US Embassy with their leader, Ayatollah Khomeini (CNN Library). One of the women revolutionaries broke the chains of the US Embassy by using metal cutters (History, Unknown). At first the revolutionaries seized 90 hostages including 66 American hostages (CNN Library). The revolutionaries immediately demanded the extradition of the Shah of Iran in exchange for the hostages (CNN Library). Not long after the capture, six Americans diplomats were able to escape from the US Embassy with the help of the Canadian government (Bowden). The Canadian government was able to smuggle the six American diplomats out of Iran by using Canadian passports and having them pose as a Canadian film crew (Bowden). The student revolutionaries demanded that the Shah of Iran return to Iran so he could go on trial and face execution (Lee). But, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi was in America seeking medical attention and treatment for lymphoma (CNN Library). The Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line also demanded that the United States apologize for the interference of internal affairs with Iran and that Iran’s frozen assets in the United States be released (Bowden). The conditions for the hostages were very harsh and many of them were mentally and physically abused by the revolutionaries. A total of 52 hostages remained after a total of 13 women and African Americans were released by the revolutionaries and later one white man named Richard Queen who was released because he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (History, Unknown). At first, the holding area was inside the buildings of the US Embassy in Tehran but later the hostages were transferred to prisons around Tehran to prevent escape or capture of the hostages (Bowden). The final holding area of the hostages was the Teymour Bakhtiari mansion; at this holding area the hostages received showers with cold and hot running water (Bowden). The treatment of the hostages was very cruel and many hostages suffered long after their release. The hostages were blindfolded in front of large angry crowds where they were often yelled at and hurt (Bowden). The hostages were not allowed to speak to each other and many were put into solitary confinement and were forced to play Russian roulette with the revolutionaries (Bowden). On February 5, 1980 the guards told the hostages to strip naked and get on their knees and prepare for their execution but it was all a cruel prank by the guards which had a lasting effect on the hostages (Bowden). President Carter initially favored Secretary of State Cyrus Vanci’s policy of negotiation with the terrorists to release the hostages (History, Unknown). But by 1980 President Carter started to lean toward Secretary of State Zbigniew Brzezinski’s more confrontational view (History, Unknown). On April 11, 1980 President Carter sent helicopters to rescue the hostages in Tehran the mission was called Operation Eagle Claw. The plan was to send eight helicopters to meet at a fueling site and a landing place called “Desert One” (PBS, Unknown). Colonel Beckwith had to abort the mission that was approved by President Carter due to the technical difficulties of three of the helicopters (PBS, Unknown). One of the RH-53D helicopters crashed into a C-130 aircraft, killing eight United States servicemen and injuring many more (PBS, Unknown). The day after the mission failed, jubilant Iranian’s broadcasted the remains of the crash to show the impotence of Americans (PBS, Unknown). President Carter’s popularity went down considerably after this event and many historians fell it was the reason he did not get reelected the following year (Bowden).
After the completion of the Iran Hostage Crisis negotiations all 52 American hostages were released from Tehran (Kizner). The negotiation included the Algiers Accords which called for Iran to free the hostages immediately and also included the unfreezing of $7.9 billion of Iranian assets and immunity from lawsuits Iran might have faced in America (Bowden). The hostages were released into the hands of the United States government just 20 minutes after President Reagan’s inaugural address on January 20, 1981 (Kizner). The hostages were flown to Algeria to thank the Algerian government for helping them solve the crisis situation (Kizner). The Algerian government mediated the negotiation which was a major reason why the negotiations were successful and the United States and Iran also met in Algiers the capital of Algeria to negotiate (Kizner). The hostages were then flown to West Germany where they met with former President Carter. They were finally flown back home to New York where a large crowd greeted them (Kizner). The aftermath of the Iran Hostage Crisis still affects relations between Iran and the United States even years after the crisis was resolved. In Iran, anti-American sentiment is even more popular and all politicians associated with the United States were removed from political positions in Iran (Kizner2). The Iran-Iraq War was less than a year after the revolutionaries captured the American hostages. “I believe that the United States was angry with Iran and it led the United States to aid Iraq after the war turned against Iraq” (Kizner). One of the benefits for Iran was the acquisition of intelligence information that was located inside the US Embassy that included identities of government officials (Kizner2). One Iranian tradition that has come from this is the burning of the United States flag outside the embassy every November 4th, but on November 4, 2009 pro-democracy protestors started chanting “Death to the Dictator” and other anti-government sayings instead of what they usually chant which was “Death to America” (Neuman). The aftermath in the United States affected politics, the economy and the United States relations with Iran.
When the hostages returned to the United States they received many gifts including life time passes to any Major League Baseball game (PBS, Unknown). The hostages attempted to sue Iran in 2000 for the hostage situation but it was unsuccessful due to the Antiterrorism Act and the United States didn’t want to make relations with Iran even worse and more complicated (PBS, Unknown). After President Carter’s four year term was up Ronald Reagan was elected president, many historians think Carter did not get reelected for another four years due to the failure to successfully recover the hostages in a short amount of time (History, Unknown). The Iran Hostage Crisis also led to many sanctions that the United States placed upon Iran. The United States prohibited all weapon sales, a ban on selling aircraft carriers and repair parts to Iran (Katzman). The United States also opposed all loans to Iran from international financial institution and cut all ties economically (Katzman). Also, the United States had placed an embargo on trading with the United States and Iran (Katzman). Overall it cut all the economic and political ties completely with Iran due to the Iran Hostage Crisis …show more content…
situation.
In conclusion, it is important to study the Iran Hostage Crisis because it helps us understand why the United States has bad relations with Iran to this day.
The Iran Hostage Crisis happened on November 4, 1979 when Iranian student revolutionaries took over the US Embassy in Tehran capturing 52 American hostages (Amies). The crisis demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the Carter administration in handling foreign affairs with Middle Eastern countries. Around 300 student revolutionaries gathered on the morning of November 4th to take over the US Embassy in order to protest against the Shah that went to the United States for medical treatment (CNN Library). The 52 hostages had to go through mental and physical abuse that included theft, beatings and the hostages were scared for their lives (Bowden). President Carter sent Operation Eagle Claw into action, it was a complete failure due to the technical difficulties with the helicopters, and the end the hostages were released due to the Iran Hostage Crisis Negotiations and were released after 444 days of captivity (PBS, Unknown). The results of Iran was a country that supported anti-Americanism and the United States placed many sanctions on Iran that cut off the overall ties between the two countries (Katzman). The Iran Hostage Crisis undermined Carter’s conduct of foreign policy; the crisis dominated headlines and news reports all over the world and showed Carter’s inability to resolve the issue quickly made his
administration appear to be weak and ineffective.
Works Cited
Amies, Nick. "Consequences of 1979 Hostage Crisis." DW.DE. DW, 11 Apr. 2009. Web. 03 Oct. 2013.
Bowden, Mark. Guests of Ayatollah: The Iran Hostage Crisis. New York: Atlantic Monthly, 2006. Print.
CNN Library. "1979 Hostage Crisis Still Casts Pall on U.S.-Iran Relations." CNN. Cable News Network, 04 Nov. 2009. Web. 03 Oct. 2013.
"Iran Hostage Crisis." The History Channel Website. A&E Television Networks, 2013. Web. 03 Oct. 2013.
Kinzer, Stephen. "Time to Get Over the Iran Hostage Crisis." The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 19 Jan. 2011. Web. 03 Oct. 2013.
Kinzer, Stephen. "Smithsonian.com." Smithsonian Magazine. The Smithsonian, Oct. 2008. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Katzman, Kenneth. "Iran Sanctions." FAS.org. Congressional Research Service, 11 Oct. 13. Web. 13 Nov. 13.
Lee, Roger A. "The History Guy: Iran-U.S. Hostage Crisis (1979-1981)." The History Guy: Iran- U.S Hostage Crisis (1979-1981). N.p., 01 June 2013. Web. 03 Oct. 2013. Neuman, Johanna. "Top of the Ticket." Iran 's Pro-democracy Protesters to Obama. Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
PBS, Unknown. "The Iranian Hostage Crisis." American Experience. PBS, July 2010. Web. 3 Oct. 2013.
took over the US Embassy in Tehran capturing 52 Americans for 444 days; the crisis demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the Carter administration in handling foreign affairs (Amies). The Iran Hostage Crisis weakened Iran-United States relations and marked the beginning of many legal actions and sanctions against Iran that affected the United States economy and government (Katzman). In the morning of November 4, 1979 around 300 to 500 students gathered to discuss the plans of takeover of the US Embassy with their leader, Ayatollah Khomeini (CNN Library). One of the women revolutionaries broke the chains of the US Embassy by using metal cutters (History, Unknown). At first the revolutionaries seized 90 hostages including 66 American hostages (CNN Library). The revolutionaries immediately demanded the extradition of the Shah of Iran in exchange for the hostages (CNN Library). Not long after the capture, six Americans diplomats were able to escape from the US Embassy with the help of the Canadian government (Bowden). The Canadian government was able to smuggle the six American diplomats out of Iran by using Canadian passports and having them pose as a Canadian film crew (Bowden). The student revolutionaries demanded that the Shah of Iran return to Iran so he could go on trial and face execution (Lee). But, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi was in America seeking medical attention and treatment for lymphoma (CNN Library). The Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line also demanded that the United States apologize for the interference of internal affairs with Iran and that Iran’s frozen assets in the United States be released (Bowden). The conditions for the hostages were very harsh and many of them were mentally and physically abused by the revolutionaries. A total of 52 hostages remained after a total of 13 women and African Americans were released by the revolutionaries and later one white man named Richard Queen who was released because he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (History, Unknown). At first, the holding area was inside the buildings of the US Embassy in Tehran but later the hostages were transferred to prisons around Tehran to prevent escape or capture of the hostages (Bowden). The final holding area of the hostages was the Teymour Bakhtiari mansion; at this holding area the hostages received showers with cold and hot running water (Bowden). The treatment of the hostages was very cruel and many hostages suffered long after their release. The hostages were blindfolded in front of large angry crowds where they were often yelled at and hurt (Bowden). The hostages were not allowed to speak to each other and many were put into solitary confinement and were forced to play Russian roulette with the revolutionaries (Bowden). On February 5, 1980 the guards told the hostages to strip naked and get on their knees and prepare for their execution but it was all a cruel prank by the guards which had a lasting effect on the hostages (Bowden). President Carter initially favored Secretary of State Cyrus Vanci’s policy of negotiation with the terrorists to release the hostages (History, Unknown). But by 1980 President Carter started to lean toward Secretary of State Zbigniew Brzezinski’s more confrontational view (History, Unknown). On April 11, 1980 President Carter sent helicopters to rescue the hostages in Tehran the mission was called Operation Eagle Claw. The plan was to send eight helicopters to meet at a fueling site and a landing place called “Desert One” (PBS, Unknown). Colonel Beckwith had to abort the mission that was approved by President Carter due to the technical difficulties of three of the helicopters (PBS, Unknown). One of the RH-53D helicopters crashed into a C-130 aircraft, killing eight United States servicemen and injuring many more (PBS, Unknown). The day after the mission failed, jubilant Iranian’s broadcasted the remains of the crash to show the impotence of Americans (PBS, Unknown). President Carter’s popularity went down considerably after this event and many historians fell it was the reason he did not get reelected the following year (Bowden).
After the completion of the Iran Hostage Crisis negotiations all 52 American hostages were released from Tehran (Kizner). The negotiation included the Algiers Accords which called for Iran to free the hostages immediately and also included the unfreezing of $7.9 billion of Iranian assets and immunity from lawsuits Iran might have faced in America (Bowden). The hostages were released into the hands of the United States government just 20 minutes after President Reagan’s inaugural address on January 20, 1981 (Kizner). The hostages were flown to Algeria to thank the Algerian government for helping them solve the crisis situation (Kizner). The Algerian government mediated the negotiation which was a major reason why the negotiations were successful and the United States and Iran also met in Algiers the capital of Algeria to negotiate (Kizner). The hostages were then flown to West Germany where they met with former President Carter. They were finally flown back home to New York where a large crowd greeted them (Kizner). The aftermath of the Iran Hostage Crisis still affects relations between Iran and the United States even years after the crisis was resolved. In Iran, anti-American sentiment is even more popular and all politicians associated with the United States were removed from political positions in Iran (Kizner2). The Iran-Iraq War was less than a year after the revolutionaries captured the American hostages. “I believe that the United States was angry with Iran and it led the United States to aid Iraq after the war turned against Iraq” (Kizner). One of the benefits for Iran was the acquisition of intelligence information that was located inside the US Embassy that included identities of government officials (Kizner2). One Iranian tradition that has come from this is the burning of the United States flag outside the embassy every November 4th, but on November 4, 2009 pro-democracy protestors started chanting “Death to the Dictator” and other anti-government sayings instead of what they usually chant which was “Death to America” (Neuman). The aftermath in the United States affected politics, the economy and the United States relations with Iran.
When the hostages returned to the United States they received many gifts including life time passes to any Major League Baseball game (PBS, Unknown). The hostages attempted to sue Iran in 2000 for the hostage situation but it was unsuccessful due to the Antiterrorism Act and the United States didn’t want to make relations with Iran even worse and more complicated (PBS, Unknown). After President Carter’s four year term was up Ronald Reagan was elected president, many historians think Carter did not get reelected for another four years due to the failure to successfully recover the hostages in a short amount of time (History, Unknown). The Iran Hostage Crisis also led to many sanctions that the United States placed upon Iran. The United States prohibited all weapon sales, a ban on selling aircraft carriers and repair parts to Iran (Katzman). The United States also opposed all loans to Iran from international financial institution and cut all ties economically (Katzman). Also, the United States had placed an embargo on trading with the United States and Iran (Katzman). Overall it cut all the economic and political ties completely with Iran due to the Iran Hostage Crisis …show more content…
situation.
In conclusion, it is important to study the Iran Hostage Crisis because it helps us understand why the United States has bad relations with Iran to this day.
The Iran Hostage Crisis happened on November 4, 1979 when Iranian student revolutionaries took over the US Embassy in Tehran capturing 52 American hostages (Amies). The crisis demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the Carter administration in handling foreign affairs with Middle Eastern countries. Around 300 student revolutionaries gathered on the morning of November 4th to take over the US Embassy in order to protest against the Shah that went to the United States for medical treatment (CNN Library). The 52 hostages had to go through mental and physical abuse that included theft, beatings and the hostages were scared for their lives (Bowden). President Carter sent Operation Eagle Claw into action, it was a complete failure due to the technical difficulties with the helicopters, and the end the hostages were released due to the Iran Hostage Crisis Negotiations and were released after 444 days of captivity (PBS, Unknown). The results of Iran was a country that supported anti-Americanism and the United States placed many sanctions on Iran that cut off the overall ties between the two countries (Katzman). The Iran Hostage Crisis undermined Carter’s conduct of foreign policy; the crisis dominated headlines and news reports all over the world and showed Carter’s inability to resolve the issue quickly made his
administration appear to be weak and ineffective.
Works Cited
Amies, Nick. "Consequences of 1979 Hostage Crisis." DW.DE. DW, 11 Apr. 2009. Web. 03 Oct. 2013.
Bowden, Mark. Guests of Ayatollah: The Iran Hostage Crisis. New York: Atlantic Monthly, 2006. Print.
CNN Library. "1979 Hostage Crisis Still Casts Pall on U.S.-Iran Relations." CNN. Cable News Network, 04 Nov. 2009. Web. 03 Oct. 2013.
"Iran Hostage Crisis." The History Channel Website. A&E Television Networks, 2013. Web. 03 Oct. 2013.
Kinzer, Stephen. "Time to Get Over the Iran Hostage Crisis." The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 19 Jan. 2011. Web. 03 Oct. 2013.
Kinzer, Stephen. "Smithsonian.com." Smithsonian Magazine. The Smithsonian, Oct. 2008. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Katzman, Kenneth. "Iran Sanctions." FAS.org. Congressional Research Service, 11 Oct. 13. Web. 13 Nov. 13.
Lee, Roger A. "The History Guy: Iran-U.S. Hostage Crisis (1979-1981)." The History Guy: Iran- U.S Hostage Crisis (1979-1981). N.p., 01 June 2013. Web. 03 Oct. 2013. Neuman, Johanna. "Top of the Ticket." Iran 's Pro-democracy Protesters to Obama. Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
PBS, Unknown. "The Iranian Hostage Crisis." American Experience. PBS, July 2010. Web. 3 Oct. 2013.