The Iranian hostage crisis began in 1979 when militants took 66 Americans hostage in the US Embassy in Tehran. President Carter attempted to negotiate their release through diplomacy, political pressure, and economic sanctions. The hostages were held for 444 days and released after Reagan took office. Carter’s failed attempts to end the crisis led to his presidency being considered one of the worst. The PLO negotiated the release of 13 hostages, and Carter issued economic sanctions against Iran. A military mission to rescue the hostages failed, and negotiations continued until their release in 1981.
The Iranian hostage crisis began on November 4, 1979 under the administration of US President Jimmy Carter, when Islamist militants entered the US Embassy in Tehran and held 66 Americans hostage. The Iranian hostage crisis was the culmination of the disintegration of relations between the United States and Iran, sparked by US support for Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlevi, after he was overthrown by Ayatollah Khomeini at the outset of the Iranian revolution. The hostages were held for a total of 444 days and released on January 20, 1981, minutes after US President Ronald Reagan took office.
History has recorded Jimmy Carter’s presidency as one of the worst in the United States due to his failed attempts to end the Iranian hostage crisis. Shortly after the hostages were taken, Carter attempted to pursue every alternative to negotiate the release of the hostages, including diplomacy, political pressure, and economic sanctions.
Carter and his administration have built a campaign to persuade the international community to put pressure on Iran. Many governments have supported the United States. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), considered a terrorist group by the United States at the time, managed to negotiate the release of 13 of the hostages at the request of John Shaheen, a friend of Ronald Reagan and William Casey, who was campaigning of Reagan manager.
In addition to freezing Iran’s assets held in American banks, President Carter has ordered a series of economic sanctions against Iran to end the Iranian hostage crisis. Carter issued Proclamation 4702, which stopped the importation of Iranian oil into the United States. Executive Order 12205 instituted an embargo on exports leaving the United States and going to Iran. Carter’s final economic sanction against Iran was Executive Order 12211, which created a ban on all Iranian imports and prohibited American citizens from traveling to or conducting business there.
After the hostages were held captive for five months, Carter authorized a military mission to rescue the American hostages. The mission began with an encounter between six military transport planes and nine helicopters in a desert southeast of Tehran. The mission was reduced to five helicopters due to mechanical problems and one of the last helicopters crashed into one of the transport aircraft after departing a refueling area. Eight soldiers died and four were wounded, prompting Carter to abort the mission. After the failed mission, the Carter administration continued negotiations without success until the hostages were released in January 1981.
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