The Iranian Hostage Crisis

1979-1981

BY:LORIN SMITH

The Iranian hostage crisis all began on November 4,1979 when the United States began to support the fall of the Shah and influence

that it had on Iran. Many radical Iranians found that they should do something to stop this and that is when the hostages were taken. This was a strange act because up until now Iran and the United

States had been allies in the war.

How it Began

The Iranian Hostage Crisis began when a group of radical Iranian students attacked an American camp in Tehran. The United States was the area affected in the

rampage. Many United Sates troops were captured and tortured by the radicals.

Ayatollah Khomeini

•Was born Rouhollah Mousavi Khomeini

•Was born on September 24, 1902

•Born in the small town of Khomein

•Family had a long tradition of religious scholarship

•Married Yousef Khan’s daughter

Jimmy Carter

• Born on October 1,1924

• He grew up nearby in the community of Archery.

• His father, James Earl Carter, Sr., was a farmer and businessman; his mother, Lillian Gordy, a registered nurse.

• He later did graduate work in nuclear physics at Union College.

• He was educated in the Plains public schools, attended Georgia Southwestern College and the Georgia Institute of Technology, and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1946.

Richard Queen

• Was born in Washington D.C. and worked for the U.S. State Department as Vice Consul at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran.

• On November 4, 1979, he was among the 66 hostages taken by Islamic militants calling themselves the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line

• He was a graduate of Hamilton College, class of 1973.

• Richard Queen died on August 14, 2002 in Falls Church City, Virginia due to complications from multiple sclerosis.

THE EVENTSON NOVEMBER 4,1979 A FLEET OF

RADICAL IRANIANS ATTACKED A UNITED STATES EMBASSY BASE AND

SEIZED SIXTY-SIX AMERICAN SOLDIERS. THROUGH A COUPLE OF

WEEKS AMERICANS WERE RELEASED.THIRTEEN AFRICAN

AMERICANS AND WOMEN WERE LET FREE WHICH LOWERED THE

HOSTAGE NUMBER TO FIFTY-TWO. LATER ONE MORE HOSTAGE WAS REALEASED BECAUSE HE NEEDED

MEDICAL ATTENTION.

However, for the other fifty-two American soldiers conditions were not exactly comfortable. Iranian hostage takers were able to keep the American citizens by naming them

“Ayatollah’s guest”, but he way they were treated was nothing like how you would treat a guest. These hostages were paraded in front of cameras, put in solitary confinement, and were sometimes not allowed to talk to each other for weeks. America was lost and did not know where to turn. They ended up setting up Operation Eagle Claw. In this Operation a rescue plan was sent to Iran to save the hostages. Unfortunately this plane did not make it and hostages were forced to live in Tehran

until the Algiers Accords was signed.

The Government of the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, having been requested by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America to serve as the intermediary in seeking a mutually acceptable resolution of the crisis in their relations rising out of the detention

of the 52 United Sates nationals in Iran, has extensively with the two governments as to the commitments which each is willing to make in order to

resolve the crisis within the framework of the four points stated in the resolution of November 2, 1980, of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran. On the basis of formal adherences received from Iran and the United States,

the Government of Algeria now declares that the following interdependent commitments have been made by the two governments:

Algiers Accords

The death of the Shah on July 27 and invasion of Iran of Iraq were just a few reasons why the Iranian hostage crisis came to a halt. Also Carter was beat in the presidential election by Ronald Reagan and felt that he needed to resolve the crisis before leaving office. Just days before Jimmy Carter was to pack up

his things, Abdulkarim Ghuraib made a negotiation with the United States called the Algiers Accords. This treaty allowed any of the United Sates citizens

under hostage to be freed.

After the hostage crisis many people were affected. Iran, was a country that did not

benefit a lot from the crisis. Iran had a very hard time finding any money to supply the

war they were fighting with Iraq. Anti-Americanism began to grow stronger and

American supporters in Iran were taken down from political power. Meanwhile hostage

families were suing Iran for terrorism to the hostages. Unfortunately they failed because

the Algiers Accords agreement heavily favored Iran.

AFTERMATH

November 4, 1979

On this day 66

Americans were taken

hostage.July 1980

A hostage named Richard

Queen was diagnosed

with a disease

and released.

November 12, 1979

U.S enforces diplomat

ic pressure on Iran

January 1979

Shah falls

Operation Eagle

Claw fails do to a

sandstorm

April 25, 1980

Shah dies but

hostages are

still not set

freeJuly 27,1980

Iran is invaded by Iraq

September 22,1980

Carter leaves office

January 20, 1980

Hostages are

set free

January 20,1980

Works Cited"Richard Queen." Wikipedia. 22 Aug. 2002. 3 Dec. 2007

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Queen>.

"Iran." Wikip. 3 Dec. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_hostage_crisis>.

"The Hostage Crisis in Iran." Jimmy Carter Library. 3 Dec. 2007 <http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org/documents/hostages.phtml>.

"Jimmy Carter." The White House. 3 Dec. 2007 <http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/jc39.html>.

"Historic Personalities." Iran Chamber Soceity. 3 Dec. 2007. 29 Nov. 2007 <http://www.iranchamber.com/history/rkhomeini/ayatollah_khomeini.php>.