Fifty-two American diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took them as hostages.
Thirty of the original hostages are still alive, with some still suffering the lasting effects of the trauma from their captivity. The families of five former hostages reside in California. “The bravery of these American heroes must be remembered forever,” Senator Padilla said.
The SAS team's storming of the building in 17 minutes became one of its most famous operations, recovering all but one of the hostages and killing five of the six hostage-takers.
Republican Ronald Reagan defeated Carter in the 1980 presidential election. Although Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher had completed negotiations under Algerian auspices to free the American hostages in Tehran, President Carter and Secretary of State Edmund S.
The Iran Hostage Crisis lasted for 444 days and ended minutes after President Jimmy Carter left office in 1981. In 1977 the Uniited States and Iran enjoyed a friendly diplomatic relationship.
Operation Eagle Claw, failed mission by the U.S. military in April 1980 to rescue Americans who were held during the Iran hostage crisis. The mission highlighted deficiencies within the U.S. military command structure and led to the creation of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants stormed the United States Embassy in Tehran and took approximately seventy Americans captive. This terrorist act triggered the most profound crisis of the Carter presidency and began a personal ordeal for Jimmy Carter and the American people that lasted 444 days.
The hostages were separated into small groups that were not allowed to communicate. They were cut off from outside news and contact with the American government, while letters to and from their families were delivered late or not at all. They were blindfolded when taken outside their rooms to take showers or exercise.
Rescue raid
Together, the CIA officers and ground forces would then drive from Desert Two into Tehran. This assault team would assault the embassy and Foreign Affairs building, eliminate the guards, and rescue the hostages, with air support from Air Force AC-130 gunships flying from Desert One.
The immediate cause of this action was President Jimmy Carter's decision to allow Iran's deposed Shah, a pro-Western autocrat who had been expelled from his country some months before, to come to the United States for cancer treatment.
On November 4, 1979, Iranian students seized the embassy and detained more than 50 Americans, ranging from the Chargé d'Affaires to the most junior members of the staff, as hostages. The Iranians held the American diplomats hostage for 444 days.
Bob Levinson was abducted on March 9, 2007, and is the longest-held hostage in U.S. history.
Tony Mendez became a legend inside the CIA with his daring 1980 rescue of six American diplomats who were given shelter by the Canadian Embassy in Tehran after the U.S. Embassy had been stormed by Iranian revolutionaries.
HOSTAGE: The Incredible True Story of the Kidnapping of Three American Missionaries.
Koob and the other female officer, Ann Swift, remained as the only two female hostages. The women were separated from each other for four months, held alone in separate rooms of the embassy. Their only direct human contact was with their male and female Iranian student guards.
The Failed Operation
The aircraft encountered a haboob, a violent wind-driven sand storm common in desert. This caused extreme visibility issues, damage to the aircrafts, and sickness with the crews. President Carter and his staff received the news and decided to abort the mission.
Though deeply opposed to this U.S. move, the prime minister gave assurances that the Iranian government would protect the safety of diplomatic personnel in Tehran. The Iranian hostage crisis contributed greatly to Jimmy Carter's loss of the presidency in the 1980 election. Americans had lost confidence in their leader.
Between 1981 and 1986, senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran, which was the subject of an arms embargo. The administration hoped to use the proceeds of the arms sale to fund the Contras, a right-wing rebel group, in Nicaragua.
Interesting Facts About the Iran Hostage Crisis
The U.S. embassy in Iran was referred to as a "den of spies" by Islamic leaders. The leaders of the U.S. embassy had warned Carter that they would be in danger if he allowed the Shah into the United States. The hostages were greeted by Jimmy Carter after their release.
The series is about a renowned surgeon who is scheduled for a routine operation on the chief minister was ordered to assassinate him in the process, in order to save family being captivated.
Ebtekar was nicknamed "Mary", when she was the spokeswoman of the students who took hostages and occupied the US Embassy in 1979. Later she became the head of the Environment Protection Organization of Iran during the administration of President Mohammad Khatami, and was a city councilwoman of Tehran from 2007 to 2013.
The hostages were held for 444 days, from November 4, 1979 to their release on January 20, 1981.
United States attack of 1988
In 1988, the United States launched Operation Praying Mantis against Iran, claiming that it was retaliation for the Iranian mining of areas of the Persian Gulf as part of the Iran–Iraq War. The American attack was the largest American naval combat operation since World War II.
Sixty-six Americans were taken captive when Iranian militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979, including three who were at the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Six more Americans escaped. Of the 66 who were taken hostage, 13 were released on Nov.