Matthew Cottrell
The Iranian Hostage Crisis
The land of Iran was, and still is, rich with oil. As soon as word spread the west frenzied for control of the region. Initially, the area was controlled by the British until World War 2 when they gave it up to the Soviet Union to allow the Russians to defend it against the Germans.
Eventually the U.S. became involved in the region. They advocated for an independent Iran and pushed forward a young leader named Reza Shah Pahlavi. He would be known as just the Shah. The U.S. began to become paranoid over the increasing communist ties to the region. The CIA to yank the rug out from the Iranian Prime Minister by shedding light on his communistic agenda. This move gave governing power to the Shah, who immediately began extensive oil trading with the U.S.
Because of the new ties with the U.S., economic prosperity was brought to the region. But, in 1963, the Islamic Clergy began to resent the influence the West acquired in the region. A small uprising sprung up in protest but was quickly put out by the Shah. Even though the uprising was unsuccessful, it would be the spark that would ignite the eventual Islamic Revolution.
In 1977, the Shah began to lose control of his country as opposition for his government practices rose. Many Iranian citizens believed the Shah’s rule was “Anti-Islamic”. On January 16, 1979, the Shah fell from power and fled the country for Egypt.
Soon after his departure, the Shah began to experience medical complications because of his recently diagnosed cancer. He then requested entry into the U.S. for treatment. After initially denying him, President Carter relented on humanitarian grounds and allowed him into the country.
On November 4, a group of students and revolutionaries the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took more than 60 hostages. The revolutionaries declared that the hostages would not be released until the U.S. returned the Shah so he could stand trial for his perceived crimes against Iran and also requested payment for the money they claimed the Shah had stolen from the Iranian people.
In response, President Carter placed an embargo on Iranian oil on November 11th. On the 17th, all female, African-American, and non-U.S. citizens were released (bar a few). There was now only 53 hostages.
For the first few months, the carter administration attempted to put pressure on Iran to deal with the problem by way of economic sanctions and freezing of assets. The American people grew restless and by the spring they demanded stronger action.
On April 11, 1980, the president green lit a high risk military operation to rescue the hostages. The mission was complete disaster that cost the lives of eight service men soon after it left the ground.