Storming the Embassy

On November 4, 1979, a pivotal event unfolded in Tehran, Iran that would not only significantly strain U.S.-Iran relations for decades, but also reshape the contours of American politics during a crucial election year.

On this day, thousands of Iranian students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran. By the end of the day, they had taken 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage. The captives were held for 444 days, making it one of the longest and most defining hostage crises in modern history.

The students, aligned with the emerging Islamic Republic under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini, were protesting the U.S.’s admittance of the deposed Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, for cancer treatment in New York. The Shah had been toppled earlier that year during the Iranian Revolution, which replaced his westernized and secular monarchy with an Islamic republic under Khomeini.

Several factors spurred the students into action:

1. Anti-American sentiment: There was growing resentment against the U.S. due to its long-standing support for the Shah’s autocratic regime. Many Iranians viewed the Shah as a puppet of the U.S., and his oppressive regime as a direct result of American interference in Iranian affairs.

2. The Shah’s admission to the U.S.: The decision to admit the Shah for medical treatment was seen as America interfering once again in Iranian matters. Many believed this was a precursor to the U.S. orchestrating another coup, similar to the 1953 coup which had reinstated the Shah to power after a brief period of democratic rule.

3. Desire to solidify the Islamic Republic: By taking American hostages, the students wanted to display their defiance to the U.S. and showcase the strength and resolve of the new Islamic Republic.

Initially, the Iranian government did not sanction the storming of the U.S. embassy. However, sensing the popular support for the students’ actions, Ayatollah Khomeini soon endorsed the hostage-taking. This move further cemented Khomeini’s position as the supreme leader and spiritual authority of Iran. From this point on, the hostage crisis became as much a state-sanctioned endeavor as it was a spontaneous act of student defiance.

The Carter administration was taken by surprise and immediately faced intense pressure to secure the release of the hostages. President Jimmy Carter responded by applying economic and diplomatic pressure, including a complete oil embargo on Iran and freezing Iranian assets in the U.S.

A rescue mission, Operation Eagle Claw, was attempted in April 1980 but ended in failure, leading to the deaths of eight American servicemen and further embarrassment for the Carter administration.

The hostage crisis had profound implications for the 1980 U.S. presidential election. President Carter’s inability to secure the hostages’ release became a focal point of criticism and was framed as indicative of American weakness on the global stage.

Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate, capitalized on this perception, juxtaposing the ongoing crisis with his vision of a strong and assertive America. The prolonged nature of the crisis, coupled with economic troubles at home, significantly undermined Carter’s bid for re-election.

On the day of Reagan’s inauguration on January 20, 1981, the hostages were released, ending a 444-day ordeal. While the exact reason for the timing remains a matter of debate, the release cast a further shadow on Carter’s legacy while marking a triumphant start to Reagan’s presidency.

November 4, 1979, the first day of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, set into motion a series of events that reshaped U.S.-Iran relations and had lasting impacts on American politics and its global image.