Iran Hostage Crisis, 30th Anniversary, Video

Videos

Miseria Cantare-Iran Hostage Crisis

see larger video

sourced by Sudha Krishna

• 

  Created by Sudha Krishna | add comment

• 

  Created by Sudha Krishna | add comment

• 

  Created by Sudha Krishna | add comment

• 

  Created by Sudha Krishna | add comment

As protests against the current Iranian government play out in the streets of Tehran it is worth remembering the 30th Anniversary of the U.S. Hostage Crisis that happened in the same city in 1979.

The then existing leader, The Shah of Iran was deposed by a popular revolution - a mix of students, intellectuals and the followers of Ayatollah Khomeini,  who was living in exile in France. The Shah and his brutal security service SAVAK was backed by USA. SAVAK routinely tortured and persecuted opponents of the Shah.

As the revolution hit the streets of Iran, and as the Shah fled, the U.S. Embassy in Iran was taken over on November 4th, 1979 and 55 Americans were held hostage for a total of 444 days. 

A Canadian side note to the crisis saw the then Canadian Ambassador to Iran, Ken Taylor orchestrate the clandestine escape of 6 Americans.

The hostage crisis severely damaged the reputation of the Carter administration especially after a failed rescue attempt. The end of the crisis in 1981 ushered in the Reagan presidency and a deep freeze in relations between Iran and the USA - a freeze that barely shows signs of thawing.

Fast forward 30 years later and some of those revolutionary leaders, including Iran's current President Ahmadinejad, are cracking down on another generation of students and protesters who say more freedom, respect for human rights, and a corrupt free democracy are vitally needed for Iran.