The Iran Hostage Crisis - 2438 Words

The late 20th century was a very turbulent time in American history. In 1976, Jimmy Carter was elected to the presidency, and he had many goals to help better America. However, on November 4th, 1979, a group of radical students seized the United States’ embassy in Tehran, Iran. This completely altered the course of American history and relations with the Middle East. This crisis had many impacts on the United States. It caused the Energy Crisis which in turn caused the Recession of 1979. The Iran Hostage Crisis also had political consequences for President Carter. It was a major factor that contributed to him losing the election of 1980 to Ronald Reagan. Additionally, this crisis led to many instances of racial discrimination toward†¦show more content†¦Carter responded to the seizure of the embassy and the taking of hostages by applying diplomatic and economic sanctions on Iran. Ten days after the start of the crisis, President Carter froze about $8 billion of Irania n assets. However, this did not rattle Khomeini, it empowered him. It was at this point that it was realized that a solution to this crisis would be harder than anticipated. Ayatollah Khomeini issued a set of demands in exchange for the hostages. First, the Shah must be returned to Iran to be put on trial. Second, the U.S. needed to issue an apology for previous American actions, and third the U.S. had to promise not to interfere in Iranian politics in the future. As expected, Carter did not comply with these demands. He tried to work out diplomatic negotiations with Iran using a third party, but those negotiations fell through (The Associated Press). President Carter was criticized heavily for not doing more to resolve the Hostage Crisis. Since Carter saw that a diplomatic solution was not going to come soon, he decided that the only way to solve the situation was by force. He employed a secret operation known as Operation Eagle Claw. The plan was to land helicopters and planes out side of Tehran, and then they would make their way to the embassy to rescue the hostages. However, the mission was a complete failure; a dust storm caused a helicopter to crash into one of the planes, killing eight service members.Show MoreRelatedThe Iran Hostage Crisis Essay1755 Words   |  8 PagesAmerican diplomats and other hostages for 444 days. The Shah left Iran and the victorious Ayatollah Khomeini returned that February. Of the approximately 90 people inside the embassy, 52 remained in captivity until the end of the crisis. The reputation of the Ayatollah Khomeini and the hostage taking was further enhanced with the failure of a hostage rescue attempt that cost lives. The Ayatollah Khomeini set forth several demands to be met prior to the release of the hostages. The US had options of theirRead MoreThe Situation Of The Iran Hostage Crisis1444 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican Embassy in Tehran, Iran. The mob held 66 U.S. citizens and diplomats as hostages. Women and African- Americans were released a short while later, but 52 hostages still remained for 444 days. The president took precautions to ensure the safety of the hostages as well as U.S. relations in Iran. This terrorist act triggered the most profound crisis of the Carter presidency and began a personal ordeal for Jimmy Carter and the American people. The events in the Iran Hostage Crisis demonstrate how badRead MoreThe Iran Hostage Crisis Of 1979 Essay2160 Words   |  9 Pagesforming, the citizens of Iran were undergoing an evolution into a democratic government; breaking apart from it monarchical rule. During this extremely crucial phase for Iran, the U.S. and United Kingdom stepped in to overthrow this democratic development to strengthen their own agendas. In response to this corruption that caused oppression amongst the Iranian people, they rose up against the U.S. and held our citizen’s hostage. This was known as the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979. In this essay weRead MoreThe Iran Hostage Crisis and the United States1146 Words   |  5 Pagescaptivated by the Iran Hostage Crisis because they were blindsided by this radical action and their knowledge of America’s involvement in Iran was limited. The media played a major role in influencing their emotions and they already had trouble trusting the American government. This unknown involvement began in 1943 when President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin met in Tehran to discuss how to remove the British and Soviet military forces from Iran because Iran wanted to beRead MoreThe Iran Hostage Crisis And The United States1888 Words   |  8 Pagesup as the remaining hostages climb out of the plane on American soil. The Iran Hostage Crisis included Iranian students holding Americans hostage. Fifty-two American hostages were held in the United States Embassy in Tehran for 444 days. The 444 day hostage crisis lasted from November 1979 to January 1981. There are different reasons why the Iran Hostage Crisis could have happened. The actions and inactions of the United States’ government are to blame for the Iran Hostage Crisis because the UnitedRead MorePresident Jimmy Carter And The Iran Hostage Crisis1646 Words   |  7 Pages Mere minutes after President Jimmy Carter was out of office, the Iran Hostage Crisis, for which his presidency is most remembered, was over. Behind him was a disjointed foreign and confused domestic policy. When he left office, Carter’s approval rating was 34 percent, and his disapproval rating nearly twice that (Roper Center). Today, it seems that he is a better ex-President than he was a president, as evidenced in his founding of the Carter Center, his cultivation of his presidential libraryRead MoreThe Iran Hostage Crisis Changed The Political Connections Between The United States And Iran1586 Words   |  7 Pages1945 - Present 20 November 2016 The Iran Hostage Crisis The Iran Hostage Crisis changed the political connections between the United States and Iran for several years to come. The Iran Hostage Crisis became a symbol of America s global power and influence On November 4, 1979, Iranian students stormed the US embassy in Tehran, Iran, and took sixty-three Americans hostage. The students agreed that the hostages would not be released until the Shah returned to â€Å"Iran to stand trial for the crimes committedRead MoreThe Iran Hostage Crisis And Americas First Encounter With Radical Islam1480 Words   |  6 Pagesbook Taken Hostage, Farber informs us about the Iran Hostage Crisis and America s First Encounter with Radical Islam. This book tells us how the United States and Iran got into conflict, leading to the Iranians holding American Embassy members hostage as revenge for them feeling betrayed by the United States. It also informs us about other events that occurred in a decade that caused the United States many problems. Farber talked a bout all the events that lead to the Iranian Hostage Crisis. NovemberRead MoreThe Iran Hostage Crisis522 Words   |  2 PagesIran Hostage Crisis There has been a great deal of tension that has lasted many decades between the United States. From November 1979 to January 1981 a diplomatic event occurred between these two countries which came to be known as the Iran Hostage Crisis. In Teheran, Iran on November 4, 1979, a group known as Imams Disciples stormed the American Embassy and captured a number of U.S. Citizens and held them hostage. In total they captured sixty-six U.S. citizens and diplomats however some of theseRead MoreIran Hostage Crisis1295 Words   |  6 PagesIran Hostage Crisis The Iran Hostage Crisis lasted for 444 days and went from 4 November 1979 to 20 January 1981. This crisis happened only after a long time friend and ally, the Shah of Iran, was ousted from power and left Iran in January 1979. A revolutionary leader named Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini came to power in Iran when he returned in February 1979. Khomeini started rhetoric against the United States as the Great Satan that provided young Iranian students a reason to storm the U.S