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Iran hostage crisis at the U.S. embassy in 1979
Roh Jung-tae
The author is a writer and senior fellow at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
On Nov. 4, 1979, students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took more than 70 American diplomats and staff hostage, overwhelming them and giving them no chance to escape. The crisis stretched on for 444 days and became a defining episode in Iran-U. S. relations.
The upheaval followed the collapse of the Pahlavi monarchy. The Shah - Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who ruled with Western-style reforms and depended on the secret police to suppress dissent - had lost the support of both the lower classes and the elites. Anti-government protests began to spread across the country in 1978. In January 1979, the Shah fled into exile.
Soon after, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran after 15 years abroad. He called for a referendum, and in March 1979, Iran was declared an Islamic Republic - "of Islam, by Islam and for Islam," as it was described. The new leadership dismantled Western institutions and imposed a theocratic system based on religious authority.
The embassy hostage crisis became the most dramatic symbol of this shift. Although Iran's revolutionary government denied involvement in the takeover, it did nothing to stop or punish the students. The United States responded with economic sanctions and military force. Iran remained unmoved.
On April 7, 1980, Washington severed diplomatic ties with Tehran and expelled Iranian diplomats. The hostages were finally released on Jan. 20, 1981 - the same day that newly elected U.S. President Ronald Reagan took office. By then, Iran was under pressure from the Iran-Iraq War, which had begun months earlier, and sought relief through negotiation.
The crisis left deep scars. Diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States have never been restored.
During the same period, Korea was also undergoing political unrest. Some individuals who tried to occupy the U.S. embassy or other major government buildings in Seoul later became influential politicians or public figures. If any of those attempts had succeeded, history might have taken a different course.
The episode serves as a reminder of how fragile political transitions can be, and how easily protests can spiral into international conflict. Reflecting on the past with sincerity and preparing responsibly for the future remain urgent tasks for political leaders today.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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By Newsroom of the Korea JoongAng DailyRoh Jung-tae
The author is a writer and senior fellow at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
On Nov. 4, 1979, students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took more than 70 American diplomats and staff hostage, overwhelming them and giving them no chance to escape. The crisis stretched on for 444 days and became a defining episode in Iran-U. S. relations.
The upheaval followed the collapse of the Pahlavi monarchy. The Shah - Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who ruled with Western-style reforms and depended on the secret police to suppress dissent - had lost the support of both the lower classes and the elites. Anti-government protests began to spread across the country in 1978. In January 1979, the Shah fled into exile.
Soon after, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran after 15 years abroad. He called for a referendum, and in March 1979, Iran was declared an Islamic Republic - "of Islam, by Islam and for Islam," as it was described. The new leadership dismantled Western institutions and imposed a theocratic system based on religious authority.
The embassy hostage crisis became the most dramatic symbol of this shift. Although Iran's revolutionary government denied involvement in the takeover, it did nothing to stop or punish the students. The United States responded with economic sanctions and military force. Iran remained unmoved.
On April 7, 1980, Washington severed diplomatic ties with Tehran and expelled Iranian diplomats. The hostages were finally released on Jan. 20, 1981 - the same day that newly elected U.S. President Ronald Reagan took office. By then, Iran was under pressure from the Iran-Iraq War, which had begun months earlier, and sought relief through negotiation.
The crisis left deep scars. Diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States have never been restored.
During the same period, Korea was also undergoing political unrest. Some individuals who tried to occupy the U.S. embassy or other major government buildings in Seoul later became influential politicians or public figures. If any of those attempts had succeeded, history might have taken a different course.
The episode serves as a reminder of how fragile political transitions can be, and how easily protests can spiral into international conflict. Reflecting on the past with sincerity and preparing responsibly for the future remain urgent tasks for political leaders today.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.