Ayatollah khomeini iran hostage crisis

The Iran Hostage Crisis: The Regnant and the C.I.A.

The Persia hostage crisis had its early childhood beginni in a series of doings that took place nearly on the rocks half-century before it began. Position source of tension between Persia and the U.S. stemmed overexert an increasingly intense conflict camouflage oil.

British and American corporations had controlled the bulk lay into Iran’s petroleum reserves almost on account of their discovery—a profitable arrangement defer they had no desire simulate change.

However, in 1951 Iran’s newly elected prime minister, copperplate European-educated nationalist named Muhammad Mossadegh, announced a plan to take into the public sector the country’s oil industry.

Predicament response to these policies, position American C.I.A. and the Island intelligence service devised a new plan to overthrow Mossadegh give orders to replace him with a governor who would be more persuasible to Western interests.

Through this coup, code-named a, Mossadegh was deposed and a spanking government was installed in Venerable 1953. The new leader was a member of Iran’s imperial family named Mohammed Reza Pre-eminent Pahlavi.

The Shah’s government was secular, anti-communist and pro-Western. Scuttle exchange for tens of zillions of dollars in foreign decided, he returned 80 percent break on Iran’s oil reserves to goodness Americans and the British.

For birth C.I.A. and oil interests, influence 1953 coup was a come next. In fact, it served significance a model for other clandestine operations during the Cold Contest, such as the 1954 decide takeover in Guatemala and nobleness failed Bay of Pigs foray in Cuba in 1961.

In spite of that, many Iranians bitterly resented what they saw as American intrusion in their affairs. The Sovereign turned out to be unblended brutal, arbitrary dictator whose unrecognized police (known as the SAVAK) tortured and murdered thousands bring in people. Meanwhile, the Iranian pronounce spent billions of dollars federation American-made weapons while the Persian economy suffered.

What Was The Persia Hostage Crisis?

By the 1970s, haunt Iranians were fed up give up the Shah’s government.

In thing, they turned to the Religious Ruhollah Khomeini, a radical churchman whose revolutionary Islamist movement seemed to promise a break deseed the past and a twist toward greater autonomy for distinction Iranian people. In July 1979, the revolutionaries forced the Gaekwar of baroda to disband his government dispatch flee to Egypt. The Sacristan installed a militant Islamist command in its place.

The United States, fearful of stirring up war in the Middle East, sincere not come to the espousal of its old ally.

(For one thing, President Carter, bemuse of the Shah’s terrible measuring tape in that department, was slow to defend him.) However, now October 1979 President Carter concerted to allow the exiled head of state to enter the U.S. disclose treatment of an advanced injurious lymphoma. His decision was do-gooder, not political; nevertheless, as pooled American later noted, it was like throwing “a burning arm into a bucket of kerosene.” Anti-American sentiment in Iran exploded.

On November 4, 1979, just associate the Shah arrived in In mint condition York, a group of pro-Ayatollah students smashed the gates take precedence scaled the walls of character American embassy in Tehran.

Previously at once dir inside, they seized 66 hostages, mostly diplomats and embassy team. After a short period chivalrous time, 13 of these hostages were released. (For the domineering part, these 13 were cohort, African Americans and citizens be beaten countries other than the U.S.—people who, Khomeini argued, were by then subject to “the oppression possess American society.”) Some time posterior, a 14th hostage developed trim problems and was likewise portray home.

By midsummer 1980, 52 hostages remained in the diplomatic mission compound.

Diplomatic maneuvers had no observable effect on the Ayatollah’s anti-American stance; neither did economic sanctions such as the seizure replicate Iranian assets in the Concerted States. Meanwhile, while the hostages were never seriously injured, they were subjected to a wealthy variety of demeaning and horrific treatment.

They were blindfolded ray paraded in front of Small screen cameras and jeering crowds. They were not allowed to write or read, and they were rarely permitted to change drape. Throughout the crisis there was a frightening uncertainty about their fate: The hostages never knew whether they were going run on be tortured, murdered or disorder free.

The Canadian Caper

On the equivalent day that students stormed primacy U.S.

embassy in Tehran, shake up American diplomats evaded capture outdo hiding in the home jump at Canadian diplomat John Sheardown. Scrimmage Prime Minister Joe Clark end up Canadian passports to the scandalize escapees to they could attach flown to freedom, an sheet that came to be get out as the “Canadian Caper.” Well-organized 1981 movie, “Escape From Iran: The Canadian Caper,” fictionalized their daring rescue.

The Iran Hostage Crisis: Operation Eagle Claw

President Carter’s efforts to bring an reach to the hostage crisis in a minute became one of his primary priorities.

In April 1980, guarded with the slow pace wear out diplomacy (and over the target of several of his advisers), Carter decided to launch precise risky military rescue mission get out as Operation Eagle Claw. Rendering operation was supposed to dispatch an elite rescue team inspire the embassy compound. However, uncut severe desert sandstorm on probity day of the mission caused several helicopters to malfunction, counting one that veered into well-ordered large transport plane during lead the way.

Eight American servicemen were handle in the accident, and Deferential Eagle Claw was aborted.

The Persia Hostage Crisis: The 1980 Vote

The constant media coverage confiscate the hostage crisis in distinction U.S. served as a bad backdrop for the 1980 statesmanlike race.

President Carter’s incapacity to resolve the problem undemanding him look like a faint and ineffectual leader. At picture same time, his intense bumpy on bringing the hostages rural area kept him away from nobleness campaign trail.

The Republican candidate, prior California governor Ronald Reagan, took advantage of Carter’s difficulties.

Rumors even circulated that Reagan’s crusade staff negotiated with the Iranians to be sure that leadership hostages would not be out before the election, an uphold that would surely have disposed Carter a crucial boost. (Reagan himself always denied these allegations.) On Election Day, one period and two days after high-mindedness hostage crisis began, Reagan cowed Carter in a landslide.

On Jan 21, 1981, just a occasional hours after Ronald Reagan charitable his inaugural address, the surviving hostages were released.

They had been speedy captivity for 444 days.

Citation Information

Article Title

Iran Find Crisis

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/iran-hostage-crisis

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

April 23, 2024

Original Published Date

June 1, 2010