The Iran Hostage Crisis Essay -- Diplomacy

President Carter’s New Year’s 1979 toast to the Shah at a state dinner in Tehran, announcing that he was "an island of stability in one of the more troubled areas of the world†, set the tone of the stance the United States had with the Shah which indicated support. This led to the trigger of The Iran Hostage Crisis that lasted 444 days, in which Carter allowed an ally, the unpopular Shah to flee to the New York to receive medical care for his cancer and escaping the Iranian Revolution. On November 4th 1979 student demonstrators raided the US Embassy in Tehran, capturing 66 Americans, in which 13 women and minority hostages were let go almost immediately and 1 ill man shortly after. The dislike the Iranian people had for the United States began in the 1950’s, whereas the United States became allies with non-communist regimes, regardless of their country’s people support. 1953 marked the US’s decision to become an ally with the Shah, the leader of Iran. The United State’s tie with the Shah involved using Iran’s oil wealth for economic development, furthermore he purchased billions of dollars worth of weapons of security from the US. In 1979 the monarchy was overthrown by radical Islams that were supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini, a Shia Muslim religious scholar. The motive of the Iranian students was to demonstrate their rebellion against the Shah, in which their demand was the return of the Shah for trial then execution, additionally they asked that the US stay out of their country’s internal affairs. Carter’s approach imposed the protection of the American hostages but also ensuring the alliance with Iran, this had a negative response that affected him being reelected. Carter entered office in 1977, a crucial time of America’s... ...Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute, 1985. Print. Smith, Steve. Policy Preferences and Bureaucratic Position: The Case of the American Hostage Rescue Mission. International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944-) Vol. 61, No. 1 (Winter, 1984-1985), pp. 9-25 Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the Royal Institute of International Affairs Article Stable URL: (JSTOR) Hollis, Martin and Smith, Steve. Roles and Reasons in Foreign Policy Decision Making. British Journal of Political Science. Vol. 16, No. 3 (Jul., 1986), pp. 269-286. Published by: Cambridge University Press. Article Stable URL: (JSTOR) Pbs. "WGBH American Experience . Jimmy Carter . The Iranian Hostage Crisis | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. 1996. Web. 07 Apr. 2011. .