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In the year 1979 Iranian students took over the U.S. Embassy in Teheran and held the American diplomats hostage for 444 days. This event determined the U.S.-Iranian relations for the next decades.

 

Video

 

 

Overview

  • Date: 04 Nov 1979 – 20 Jan 1981
  • Location: Tehran, Iran
  • Start: Occupation of the U.S. Embassy by Iranian students
  • End: Release of the hostages by the Khomeini regime

 

Parties & Persons Involved

  • United States of America
    • Jimmy Carter (1924 – )
  • Iran
    • Ruhollah Khomeini (1902 – 1989)
    • Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (1919 – 1980)

 

Background

  • The Shah (inaugurated 1941) leads a (often) pro-western & authoritarian regime
  • End of the 1970ies: A multi-layered opposition (socialists, centre-left & Islamic) grows in strength & overcomes the Shah during the Iranian / Islamic Revolution
  • 16 Jan 1979: The Shah leaves Iran
  • 05 Feb 1979: Mehdi Bazargan of the centre-left National Front becomes prime minister
  • Oct 1979: The Shah arrives in New York for cancer treatment

 

History

  • 04 Nov 1979: Approx. 400 charge Iranian students the U.S. Embassy
  • 66 American diplomats are taken hostage & presented to the public
  • The students demand the extradition of the Shah to Iran
  • 05 Nov 1979: The United States refuse to extradite the Shah
  • 06 Nov 1979: The Iranian government Bazargan resigns
  • 09 Nov 1979: UN Security Council demands the release of the hostages
  • 11 – 15 Nov 1979: The United States expel all Iranian who are illegally in the country, stop all oil imports & freeze Iranian accounts
  • 19 Nov 1979: 13 women & Afro-Americans are released
  • 03 Dec 1979: After a referendum Iran receives a new constitution & becomes an Islamic republic with Khomeini as supreme leader
  • 15 Dec 1979: Panama grants the Shah asylum
  • 27 Jan 1980: The Canadian & CIA operation “Canadian Caper” enables the flight of 6 diplomats to Switzerland under the cover of the movie production Argo
  • 07 Apr 1980: The U.S. cut the diplomatic relations with Iran & impose economic sanctions
  • 24 – 15 Apr 1980: U.S. rescue operation Eagle Claw fails
  • 27 Jul 1980: The Shah dies in Cairo
  • 16 – 19 Sep 1980: The German government mediates negotiations between the U.S. & Iran
  • Iranian Demands:
    • Unfreezing the Iranian accounts
    • No U.S. intervention in Iran
    • Transfer of the Shah’s assets
  • 18 Oct 1980: On the side of a UN meeting Algeria is asked to take on a role as mediator
  • 01 Dec 1980: The hostages are committed to the Iranian government
  • 19 Jan 1981: Under Algerian mediation the U.S. & Oran reach an agreement (Algiers Accords)
  • 20 Jan 1981: The hostages are flown to Frankfurt & from there to the United States
  • Khomeini’s comment: "Now we do not need them anymore.“

 

Consequences & Impact

  • Carter suffers a clear defeat in the 1980 election against Ronald Reagan
  • The Islamic state is firmly established in Iran
  • Iran is internationally isolated
  • Long-time hostile relations between the United States & Iran