Iran Hostage Crisis
Mr. Williams
11th Grade Current Issues
•What did Carter mean
when he said that he
wanted to focus on
human rights in his
foreign policy? Cold War,
Panama, China, etc……
Camp David Accords
• Carter’s Attempt to find peaceful
solution to the 1973 Yom Kippur War
between Egypt, Syria, and Jordan vs.
Israel
• Meetings took place in 1978 between
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat,
Israeli Prime Minister Menachem
Begin and Jimmy Carter
• “Through wide-ranging consultation with
leaders of the countries involved —
Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt — we
have found some areas of agreement and
some movement toward consensus. The
negotiations must continue.”
• “The historic friendship that the United
States has with Israel is not dependent on
domestic politics in either nation; it’s
derived from our common respect for
human freedom and from a common
search for permanent peace.”
Impact of Camp David
• Israel agreed to withdrawal its forces
from the Sinai Peninsula giving it back
to Egypt
• Israel also agreed to a framework for
Palestinian rule in West Bank and
Gaza Strip
• In Return, Egypt recognized Israel as
an independent nation the first Arab
country to do so
Why did this happen?
• In 1979, revolution in Iran led
to overthrow of the Shah
• Shah had been a long time ally
of the United States
• Brutal tactics to keep power
angered Iranian people
Ayatollah Khomeini
• Islamic Fundamentalist leader
• Preached a strong AntiAmerican message
• Returned to Iran after being in
exile for 14 years in France
after Shah took power
The Cause
• American Government
allowed the shah to enter the
country for cancer treatment
• November 4, 1979, angry mob
attacked American embassy in
Tehran and captured Sixty (60)
American Employees
• “ It is important that we get our people
back. But our greater responsibility is to
protect the honor and dignity of our
country and its foreign policy interests.
At some point that greater responsibility
could become more important than the
safety of our diplomats. I hope we
never have to choose between the
hostages and our nation’s honor in the
world, but…we must be prepared for
that occurrence.” –Zbigniew Brzezinski
• “The President and this nation will
ultimately be judged by our
restraint in the face of
provocation, and on the safe
return of our hostages. We have
to keep looking for ways to reach
Khomeini and peacefully resolve
this.” –Cyrus Vance
Carter’s Response
• Froze Iranian assets in the U.S.
banks and placed an embargo
on Iranian oil
• Tirelessly negotiated release
• Ordered a rescue attempt in
April 1980
Operation Desert One
• April 1980
• Eight Americans died when a
U.S. plane and helicopter
collided
• Failure embarrassed president
and severely hurt chances of
being re-elected
Results
• After 444 days, hostages were
released
• This occurred the same day as
Ronald Reagan became
President on January 20, 1981
SALT II
• Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
• SALT I: Reduced number of nuclear
missile launchers, more importantly
started serious discussions toward
ending the Cold War
• SALT II to continue this
disarmament but pulled off the
table in 1979