The Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979-1981 CE was a pivotal moment in the history of US-Iran relations. It began on November 4, 1979, when a group of Iranian students, loyal to the Islamic Republic, stormed the US embassy in Tehran and took 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage. The crisis lasted for 444 days and ended only when President Ronald Reagan was inaugurated on January 20, 1981.