The hostage crisis in Iran was a diplomatic crisis between the United States and Iran. This happened between November 4, 1979 and January 20, 1981. During this period, fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days in Iran (Samuels, Richard 176). The crisis started when a few Iranian students, who were supporting the Iranian Revolution took over the US Embassy in Tehran. During that period, President Carter referred to the hostages as victims of anarchy and terrorists. The hostage taking was a blow against America and its influence in Iran. The crisis undermined the Iranian revolution, and the support of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran, who had been overthrown. America allowed Shah into the country for medical treatment, but the Iranians wanted America to return the Shah. Iran wanted to take Shah for trial for the crimes that he committed during his reign on the citizens. Shah had been assisted by his secret police, who were referred to as Savak. In America, the hostage situation was seen as a violation of the principle of international law. This principle granted the diplomats immunity from arrest.
After failed negotiation attempts, the American military attempted a rescue operation to save the hostages. On April 24 1980, Eagle Claw failed in a rescue mission (Samuels, Richard 154). Because of the mission, eight American servicemen, and one Iranian civilian were killed. Two aircrafts were also destroyed. After the death of the former Shah in 1980, Iraq invaded Iran. Due to these events, the Iranian government entered into negotiations with the America, Algeria acting as the mediator. The hostages were released into the custody of the United States after the signing of the Algiers accords. According to analysts, the crisis weighed heavily on Jimmy Cartel who was the American president. This made him run for a reelection in the 1980 presidential election. The crisis led to a different case in Iran. The prestige of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the political power of the people who opposed normalization of relations and supported theocracy of the west were strengthened. The crisis marked the beginning of the American legal action and economic sanctions against Iran that weakened the ties between America and Iran.
In November 4 1979, several Iranian students stormed the American Embassy and took the staff hostage. The staff was held hostage for more than a year. According to David Houghton, analogical reasoning analyzes the motivation of the Iranian radicals and the responses of President Jimmy Carter in seizing the hostages, as his top aides. The Iranian students supported the Iranian leaders seize the American embassy in Teheran. The reasons behind this include; the Iranians used the hostages as bargaining chips to get the shah back from America, and the radical ideology (Moses, Russell Leigh 39). The Iranians wanted to prevent a counterrevolution by America. President Jimmy Carter chose military force to rescue the hostages. This is because the option of the hostage rescue was retrieved from the memory of national security team. The team had experience from the two merchant ships that had been rescued. The President's administration drew on the Mayaguez precedent because the officials considered it successful to use force. Despite the return of the people who had been held on hostage without loss of life, puelo was perceived as a long-drawn out negotiation. This is because it had no benefit to the future U.S deterrent power.
The crisis due to the hostage was one of the severe series of problems facing America during the reign of President Carter. There was great interest in Iran by the western countries, after the discovery of oil in 1908. Until the World War 2 when the Union joined fighting the Germans out, the British had been playing a crucial role. The American government advocated for independence in Iran, which was led by King Shah Pahlavi. There was a large production of oil, and equipment for military from America. Because of this, shah led Iran into a period of prosperity that was unprecedented. The wealth distribution was uneven. This led to an uprising that was led by the Islamic clergy. The shah sent the Islamic leader Ruholla to exile. This was to put down the uprising.
In 1977, Carter met the shah for coffee. Carter knew that shah was trouble, but he ignored. This is because; gave the secret police permission to attack dissenters, which led to fuelling of more resentment. This action was against his government. A few weeks after the visit of carter, protests were experienced in the Qom city. The people were protesting, denouncing shah’s regime as one against the Muslims. In January 1979, Shah fled and went to Egypt. This enhanced the growth of the population movement that was against Shah. After two weeks, Khomeini returned from exile where he had stayed for stayed for fourteen years. Muslims cheered his return.
The shah suffered from cancer, but Carter could not allow him into America, for fear that, the Americans in Iran would be mistreated. In October, shah’s severity was known. The President applied humanity in his judgement, and the shah was left to enter America. In November 4, the Islamic students attacked the American embassy and captured Americans. No one knew neither who the students represented nor what they wanted to achieve from their action. A situation similar to that had happened to the ambassador of the United States, where he had been held hostage for hours before the members of the Khomeini’s retinue ordered for his release. This time round, it was different because Khomeini supported the Iranian students to attack America. Khomeini had found a chance to consolidate his power (Buhite, Russell 76). The Iranian students demanded the return of the Shah by the American government and vowed they would not release the American hostages. The students also demanded the return of the money taken from the people of Iran.
In November 1979, the government of Iran cancelled all the military treaties with the United States. These included the treaties that would allow America, or the military intervention. Bazargan and his government resigned, leaving behind Khomeini, and the Revolutionary council of Iran in power. President Carter sent William Miller and the former attorney general Ramsey Clark to Iran to discuss the United States – Iranian relations. This was to seek the release of the American hostages. Unfortunately, Khomeini refused to meet them.
President Carter considered the safe return of American hostages as a personal responsibility. Due to this, in November 11, Carter left embargoed the Iranian oil. Khomeini reacted to this by releasing the a few people from hostage. The minorities and the women had already started suffering oppression. Fifty-three Americans and one African American remained as hostages. President carter froze all its assets in America, as a way of tampering with its economy. This was because the decision of military action was risky because of the Americans in Iran. The negotiations between the Americans and Iran did not produce a conclusion. This built pressure on the Americans, who were already frustrated. The Americans demanded the application of a stronger action.
Carter decided to take a risk after he saw no hope for the release of the American hostages. On April 1990, the president approved a rescue operation that was referred to as ‘desert one.’ This rescue operation had been planned for months, but it was a high-risk operation. Unfortunately, the president had to end the plan of attacking Iran due to malfunctioning of helicopters. A helicopter had hit a plane while it was taking off, which led to the killing of eight servicemen and injuring of three. Richard, who was one of those captured was released in July. Queen had developed a multiple sclerosis. The government decided to end the matter. Carter made efforts to bring the remaining Americans from hostage in Iran before his retire as the president of America (Moses, Russell Leigh 44). His efforts bore no fruits because the hostages were released a short while after the Reagan was sworn as the new president. Carter, who was now the former president, met the hostages who had been freed in Germany, on behalf of Reagan.
Works cited
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Buhite, Russell D.. Lives at risk hostages and victims in American foreign policy. Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources Inc., 1995. Print.
Moses, Russell Leigh. Freeing the hostages: reexamining U.S.-Iranian negotiations and Soviet policy, 1979-1981. Pittsburgh, Penn.: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1996. Print.
No Holding Back. N.Y: University Press of America, 2011. Print.
Samuels, Richard J., and inc Publications.Encyclopedia of United States national security. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2006. Print.
