Iran Hostage Crisis

Iran Hostage Crisis

The Iran Hostage Crisis lasted for 444 days and went from 4 November 1979 to 20 January 1981. This crisis happened only after a long time friend and ally, the Shah of Iran, was ousted from power and left Iran in January 1979. A revolutionary leader named Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini came to power in Iran when he returned in February 1979. Khomeini started rhetoric against the United States as the "Great Satan" that provided young Iranian students a reason to storm the U.S. Embassy and take 66 people hostage. Fourteen people where released during the hostage crisis leaving 52 remaining. (1)

From World War II till his overthrow the Shah of Iran was a close ally with the United States and was one of the bases from which U.S. policy in the Middle East was built. Many times he was at odds with eight different U.S. Presidents over his social and economic reforms and refusal to grant political freedom. In a riot in 1963 the Shah arrested and exiled opposition leaders, one of those leaders was Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. From 1963 to 1979 the Shah spent billions of dollars on military weapons which loss him the support of the people. Not willing to give democratic freedoms and unable to make economic progress the Shah fled on 16 January 1979, during a revolution in Iraq. (2)

On 22 October 1979 the Shah was allowed into the United States for cancer treatment. This led to widespread anger in Iraq where Khomeini capitalized on the anger and planned a take-over of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iraq. The plan was to hold the Embassy for only a couple of hours. After 4 days Khomeini was surprised to see the U.S. did not try to use force against Iraq, so the hostage situation continued on. United States President Jimmy Carter attempted to take a soft stand and made an appeal to release the hostages on humanitarian reasons and the hope of making an alliance with the Islamic Republic against the communist. (3)

The peoples of the United States were angered by the hostage situation and the action by the Iranians was seen as a war on diplomacy. President Carter then tried to apply economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran next. He stopped all oil imports from Iraq on 12 November 1979, expelled Iranians from the U.S. and froze over 8 billion dollars of Iranian money and assets by issuing Executive order 12170. The Iranians countered and stated they wanted the Shah returned to Iraq to stand trial, the release of the assets, and an apology by the U.S. for interfering in Iraq affairs. For whatever reason no agreement was reached so the hostage situation continued on. (4)

While still trying diplomatic means the United States started to prepare for a hostage rescue by using military forces. Several scenarios were introduced but the one plan that was accepted was a complex two-night operation called Operation Eagle Claw. Due to the vast open desert like regions of Iraq a two night operation was planned allowing the rescue team concealment but this plan would also cover a vast stretch of territory and required two-nights for the plan to work. A number of C-130 airplanes (see picture 1 below) and 8 RH-53 (see picture 2 below) helicopters would be used to start the initial rescue mission.

Picture 1 (5) Picture 2 (6)

The C-130 would fly over 100 Special Forces and Ranger soldiers from Oman to a staging area called Desert One, about in the middle of Iran. The 8 RH-53 helicopters would take off from the United States Aircraft carrier Nimitz and join up with the C-130 at the staging area. The rescue team would be loaded onto the helicopters, after the helicopters refueled and then move forward to hide about 50 miles outside of Tehran. Picture 3 shows the route and territory covered by the operation. Picture 3 (7)

On day two a rescue team would be taken to the embassy in disguised trucks. The team would overtake the embassy and rescue the hostages. The hostages would then be moved to a nearby soccer field where the helicopters would pick up everyone and take them to Manzariyeh Air Base, about 40 miles southeast of Tehran. MC-130s would fly Army Rangers and combat controllers to Manzariyeh were the Rangers would hold the airfield while AC-130 Spectre gun ships would fly overhead support. C-141s would fly into Manzariyeh to fly the hostages and rescue team out of the area. (8)

Things started to go bad for the rescue mission when two helicopters had to turn back due to mechanical problems. The rescue required at least six helicopters that is all the team now had. Upon landing at Desert One another helicopter damaged its landing gear. The mission now had to be called off. As one of the helicopters attempted to lift off it banked towards one of the C-130s on the ground striking the plane and both burst into flames. Eight military personnel were killed in the incident. Another rescue plan was started but quickly scrapped. The picture below shows the crash. The helicopters were left behind for fear they might also kick up a dust storm