Effects of Iranian Hostage Crisis Essay Example

justify">During a critical political situation in 1979, Iran faced the implementation of martial law by the Shah. This included a ban on demonstrations throughout the country. Consequently, there was a widespread strike and protest that caused the Iranian economy to stagnate. In Tehran's public square, over two million people gathered with one goal – to remove the Shah from power. This popular revolution quickly resulted in his removal and subsequent exile to Egypt in July 1979.

The Iranian Revolution began with the embrace of Muslim radical Ruhollah Khomeini, also known as Ayatollah Khomeini. He established a militant Islamist government, which marked the onset of this revolution. The Iranian population strongly believed that the United States intended to overthrow their government, just as it had done in 1953. However, this time Iranians held different perspectives. On November 4, 1979, student revolutionaries climbed over the walls of the U.S. Embassy and took 66 Americans hostage to demonstrate Iran's political change not only to the U.S., but to the entire world.

The captors during the Iranian Hostage Crisis demanded three conditions for releasing the hostages: a public apology from the United States regarding its previous actions in Iran, repatriation of the exiled Shah to Iran, and a commitment from the U.S. to respect Iran's independence by refraining from interfering in its internal matters. President Jimmy Carter encountered significant challenges in securing the safe return of the hostages, resulting in an arduous ordeal lasting 444 days.

After nearly 15 months, the hostages were finally released from the Embassy in Tehran and brought back to the United States on the day President Ronald Reagan assumed office. This

event marked a significant phase of the Iranian Revolution, which continues to have lasting impact today. Nevertheless, it created feelings of national inferiority among Americans as it was one of the few instances where the US had been overpowered by a foreign country without being able to respond.

The United States experienced significant consequences as a result of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, which occurred 33 years ago. Not only did it cause embarrassment for the country, but it also had multiple effects on its political landscape. These impacts included negatively influencing the outcome of the 1980 presidential election, causing complete deterioration of diplomatic relations between the US and Iran, and establishing a precedent where foreign anti-American terrorism became an effective strategy against the US. Whether President Jimmy Carter would have won the 1980 election if the Iranian Hostage Crisis hadn't occurred remains a debated topic.

During the beginning of Ronald Reagan's era, the conflict with Iran resulted in Jimmy Carter being classified as one of the few non-re-elected presidents. This was due to Carter's inability to solve the problem, which portrayed him as a weak and ineffective leader. An example illustrating his lack of competence occurred in April 1980, during the election year, when he made an imprudent executive decision. As negotiations with Iran proved unsuccessful, Carter became increasingly frustrated.

Despite lacking the backing of important advisors, the president initiated a military endeavor known as Operation Eagle Claw. The aim of this mission was to rescue hostages from the embassy compound by utilizing a highly skilled team. Regrettably, the operation encountered a significant setback as a result of a violent sandstorm on

the scheduled day, leading to various helicopter malfunctions. Tragically, during takeoff, one of the helicopters collided with a transport plane and resulted in the devastating loss of eight American servicemen's lives. Consequently, it became imperative to swiftly terminate the operation.

The 1980 presidential race was greatly impacted by the American people's perception of the mission as a failure, which was largely influenced by continuous media coverage of the hostage crisis. The news stations emphasized the duration of the situation every night and criticized President Carter for his perceived lack of ability. On Election Day, one year and two days after the crisis started, Ronald Reagan won by a significant margin against Carter and achieved an unprecedented number of electoral votes for a candidate who was not currently in office (489 out of 538).

The Iranian Hostage Crisis, which ended more than 30 years ago, still has an impact on America's diplomatic interactions with Iran. It continues to affect the relationship between the two countries and has created animosity that remains unchanged today. Despite assigning blame, this crisis remains a focal point in U.S.-Iran relations for many Americans. The enduring effects of the hostage crisis are evident in the ongoing hostility between Iran and the United States since the hostages were released on January 20, 1981. It can be argued that no other nations have displayed such intense and prolonged hostility towards each other as Iran and the United States.

Since 1979, the US Embassy in Iran has remained empty and is now marked with a sign expressing "Death to America" on its gates. The ongoing conflict between the two countries mainly originates

from Iran's controversial nuclear program. The West alleges that Iran aims to develop weapons, while Iran argues that its program is intended for peaceful objectives.

In 1979, President Carter took multiple actions against Iran. These included stopping U.S. oil imports, freezing Iranian assets in U.S. banks, and ceasing all trade except for humanitarian goods. Presently, there is a discussion about imposing economic sanctions on Iran once again. This may involve cutting off American-based oil refineries and implementing an embargo on Iranian companies. However, these measures have proven ineffective in the past and are currently unsuccessful in securing the release of hostages. The current state of relations between the U.S. and Iran is highly challenging with limited prospects for improvement unless a compromise is reached.

The enduring impact of the Iranian Hostage Crisis on the relationship between these two nations persists, as both sides struggle to move past events that occurred over three decades ago. Besides acts of war, this crisis marked one of the initial occurrences of pure terrorism targeting the United States. It demonstrated to the world that terrorism could yield specific results against a previously dominant global superpower.

President Carter alleged that the hostages in Iran were subjected to both terrorism and anarchy. Despite his attempts to counteract Iran's terrorist actions, President Carter's endeavors proved futile, diminishing his effectiveness as a leader. His refusal to yield to blackmail revealed his lack of expertise and unintentionally bolstered anti-U.S. factions who saw terrorism as a potentially viable tactic.

Following the crisis, extremist Muslims in Iran began employing terrorism as a component of their foreign policy. The Revolutionary Guards played a role

in disseminating the ideals of the Islamic Revolution throughout the Middle East and aided in the establishment and provision of weapons to Hezbollah, also referred to as the "Party of God." Additionally, during the 1980s, Hezbollah carried out further kidnappings of 15 American hostages. Consequently, rather than solely addressing Iran, the United States now faced a heightened threat within the Middle East.

Various events over time demonstrate the increasing significance of terrorism. Such events include the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, the initial basement bombings of the World Trade Center in New York City in 1993, and the attack on the Twin Towers in New York City in 2001. These incidents were all influenced by Middle Eastern philosophies and regimes. Additionally, the Iranian Hostage Crisis exposed America's inability to exert control over global affairs and weakened its international position.

Iran's request for the U.S. to cease intervening was justified due to America's tendency to serve as the global enforcer. Despite the consequences of interfering in Iran's affairs in 1979, it seems that we have not taken this lesson to heart. The Iran Hostage Crisis highlighted the significance of collaboration and seeking common ground with other nations rather than exerting control over them. Whether or not the United States can successfully shift from dominance to cooperation remains uncertain. If the country and its leaders cannot accomplish this transition, there is a high probability of encountering further acts of aggression and terrorism.