Iranian Hostage Crisis (1979-1981)

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The Iranian Hostage Crisis of 79 was an historically critical event that went mostly out of the limelight shortly after it occured, but the 444 days those hostages spent in captivity, the events that led to them, and the way in which the whole situation was resolved were all factors in what shapes America's relationships withe the countries of the Middle East today. It began with Iran's extradition of their leader, Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlevi, who had been friendly in relations with the U.S. while the country was largely set against cooperation with the West. At that point he sought refuge and medical treatment in America and his acceptance brought dire results within Iran. A militant response from a group of Iranian students found the entire population of the U.S. embassy in Iran held hostage without proposal for release. All negotiation attempts proved either ineffective or even detrimental to U.S. relations. Relations with Iran were largely cut, trading suspended, the flow of money and critical goods halted, and the intercontinental transfer of humanity's most precious resource, oil, completely frozen. None of these attempts to squeeze Iran into submission proved effective, however, and for too long, nothing happened with the hostages. As the days counted into the double and triple digits and the negotiation attempts proved still fruitless, military minds began to propose plans for a daring armed rescue attempt to then President Jimmy Carter. A small strike team of Delta Force members were to insert via blackhawk and extract the hostages onto the helos with their unconventional but deadly efficient method of aerial assault, clearing and securing the building of hostiles and escorting those held prisoner to the rescue vehicles all in the timeframe of a few minutes, in one swift stroke. This operation, code named Eagle Claw, was a hopeful solution to the problem that had plagued Carter, the families of the victims, and the whole of America for far too long. Things had become desperate and the military was then seen as an acceptable function for fixing the situation. However, it turned itself upside down before the troops in the choppers, underway to the embassy, experienced technical and mechanical difficulties in the harsh climate of the Iranian desert wastelands during a routine stop-and-fuel session. Three helicopters crashed because their fuel began to freeze in the frigid night air and the engines malfunctioned because of poor maitenance. The operation had to be called off and Carter was subsequently forced to admit, both to the Iranian goverment and the American people, to his risky scheme. The implications were deep, contributing more than anything else to the poor state of relations today between America and Iran. Carter's failure to win re-election can also be at least partially blamed on this blunder. He lost face from the incident and never recovered politically. The hostages remained as they were until several pressures upon Iran forced it to become more receptive to negotiation a release. The death of their extradited former leader and the invasion by Iraq changed the tides, and almost the moment Ronald Reagan was elected president, the hostages were finally given freedom and given transportation back to the United States. This effectively signaled the end of the crisis and the resolution to one of America's more scathing run-ins with terrorism. It spanned over three years, the turn of a decade, and a presidential election and left a lasting state of affairs ith regards to America and the Middle East. It ultimately stands as a bitter reminder of how unsuccessful most of our escapades in that part of the world have been, and foreshadowed the many tribulations to come.