Resolution of the Iran Hostage Crisis
After 444 days, fifty-two American hostages left Iran in January 1981. Their release followed failed rescue efforts and negotiations conducted through Algerian intermediaries.
On November 4, 1979, militants entered the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took Americans captive. The seizure followed Iran’s revolution and the admission of the deposed shah to the United States for medical treatment. The confrontation became a prolonged diplomatic crisis rather than a short occupation.
Some captives were released early, while others endured months of confinement and uncertainty. Six Americans who had escaped the embassy seizure sheltered with Canadian diplomats. In January 1980, they left Iran using Canadian passports and a cover story involving a film production.
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Sources
- 444 Days: Selected Records Concerning the Iran Hostage Crisis 1979-1981 (U.S. National Archives)
- About the Tribunal (Iran-United States Claims Tribunal)
- Declaration of the Government of the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria (Algiers Accords), 19 January 1981 (TransLex, University of Cologne)
- The Canadian Caper (The Canadian Encyclopedia)
- The Iranian Hostage Crisis (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)
- Iran hostage crisis
- Algiers Agreement
- 1981
Image: Johnson Babela