Students Seize the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and Begin the Iran Hostage Crisis

A Revolution and a Shah in Exile

In early 1979 the Iranian Revolution overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and the exiled religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to take power. The shah, who had been a close ally of the United States, left the country and sought medical treatment abroad. In October 1979 President Jimmy Carter allowed him into a New York hospital for cancer care. Many Iranians feared that Washington intended to restore him, as it had helped to bring him back to power in the coup of 1953 that removed the prime minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh.

The Seizure of the Embassy

On November 4 a group of students who called themselves the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line climbed the walls of the embassy compound in Tehran. They took control of the buildings and held a large number of American diplomats and staff, initially about sixty-six people. Khomeini endorsed the action, and Iran’s moderate provisional government resigned. The students demanded that the United States return the shah to stand trial and hand over his assets.

Months of Captivity

In mid-November Khomeini ordered the release of women and African American hostages, and one more person was freed in July 1980 because of illness. Fifty-two Americans remained. They were held in isolation, and many later described harsh conditions and threats. The United States froze Iranian assets, imposed sanctions, and cut diplomatic ties. A military rescue attempt in April 1980, called Operation Eagle Claw, was cancelled after equipment failed in the Iranian desert, and eight American servicemen died in a collision at the staging area.

The End of the Crisis

The shah died in July 1980, and Iraq invaded Iran in September, which gave both governments reason to settle. Algeria mediated, and in January 1981 the two sides signed the Algiers Accords. The hostages were released on January 20, 1981, just minutes after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president, having been held for 444 days. The crisis had weakened Carter’s presidency, and it left a deep mistrust between the two countries that has shaped their relations ever since.

How the Crisis Is Remembered

In the United States the crisis became a daily news story. An evening program on ABC counted the days of captivity, and it later grew into the news show Nightline. Yellow ribbons appeared on trees and porches as a sign of hope for the hostages’ return. In May 1980 the International Court of Justice ruled that Iran had violated international law, which protects the safety of embassies and diplomats under the Vienna Convention. In Iran the seizure is remembered by supporters as a defiant act against foreign interference, and the former embassy building has been turned into a museum. Both countries still read the event in very different ways.