The Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979

The Iranian Hostage Crisis was one of the defining moments of both the 1970s and the 1980s decades. As discussed in class, it was a moment in American history that affected not only the families and friends related to the victims but rather the entire nation. Lasting from 1979 until 1981, a group of 66 American workers of all positions at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran were held captive by radical Islamic fundamentalists who sought to overthrow the current government of Iran. At this time, Iran was led by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, also known as the Shah of Iran, since 1941. His position of the Shah became abolished entirely with the revolution, and was soon replaced by the position known as the Supreme Leader of Iran that was filled by Islamic revolutionary Ayatollah Khomeini. The entire image and structure of Iran became permanently altered, leaving a lasting imprint on the nation to this day. So, why did the Hostage Crisis and Iranian Revolution occur?

In order to ask the particular question listed above, it is important to reflect on the recent history of Iran prior to this uprising to receive a broader idea. For decades, the territory of Iran had been claimed by the imperialist British since the time of the nineteenth century and had remained so through World War II. The British sought to fight and retain its landholdings in Iran regardless of the opposition forces, as they began to take advantage of the rich oil fields that are scattered throughout the territory. The United States, an ally of Britain during the war, sought to work with the British to prevent the spread of further Nazis into the Middle East and Africa who intended to take over European colonies and their valuable resources, one of them being oil. Both the US and the UK had retained some influence in the state following the war, but in 1951, the state of Iran popularly elected Mohammad Mosaddegh, an ardent nationalist, to be the new prime minister of Iran. Disgusted by the strong economic ties and overall influence in the state of Iran, Mosaddegh threatened to audit and nationalize the major American and British oil companies, causing the two powers to unite together and orchestrate a coup against Mosaddegh in 1953. This ultimately resulted in the strengthening of the regime of the pro-Western Shah Pahlavi and the return of over forty percent of Iranian oil fields to American companies. As the power of the United States increased in the Middle East, so did the sociopolitical oppression towards the Iranian people by the Shah.

                                

American influence in Iran was strong for more than twenty years following the coup, but in 1978 there grew to be more voices of opposition heard against the Shah and the American interests, some feeling irritated in the idea that foreign motives were being prioritized before national goals. Pahlavi later fell victim to cancer and physically left Iran to reside in the United States and seek treatment for his illness, but while he was absent from his throne, tensions rose throughout the nation and wanted the Shah returned to Iran to be trailed and punished for his term as a leader. Because the Shah was gone, the American Embassy in Tehran, the capital city of Iran, appeared as the closest target to the "Great Satan" of America itself and the reviled foreign interests they possessed. The Shah's government toppled, along with the relations among the two states. The idea of claiming hostages consisted of the idea of spreading one's power and authority over the other group involved and establishing negative long-term effects for the particular state. For the Carter Administration, the hostage crisis caused more Americans to lose respect for the government and identify it as inept and unable to cope or manage diplomatic relations. It was with this crisis that can be accounted for as one of the causes for why Carter was not reelected in the 1980 presidential election. The hostages were not released until 1981 after remaining 444 days in captivity. Although the crisis was over thirty-five years ago and tensions have lessened between the United States and Iran, there continue to remain no formal diplomatic relationships among the two states, leaving their future relations unpredictable.

Works Cited:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cia-assisted-coup-overthrows-government-of-iran
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-15949285
https://www.britannica.com/event/Iranian-Revolution-of-1978-1979