From Crisis to Conspiracy: The 1979 Iran Hostage Situation

The Iran Hostage Crisis introduced America to political Islam and helped usher in a new era of conservatism, but the lasting legacy of the ordeal remains linked to a fictitious scheme and human fallibility.

Not unlike the crowd that stormed the U.S. embassy nearly four decades ago, throngs of demonstrators chanting “death to America” flooded the streets of Tehran on Saturday to mark the anniversary of the Iran Hostage Crisis.

In typical fashion, both the American flag and effigies of the president were burned by rally participants. However, above the predictable banners and black chadors, a notable addition towered over the 2017 assembly: a Ghadr ballistic missile.

The weapon’s unprecedented inclusion in the annual celebration implies that, amongst other things, President Trump’s recent decision to “decertify” the Iran nuclear deal has increased animosity in the Islamic republic.

Though somewhat unsettling, such a surge in anti-American sentiment is rather unremarkable. Over the years, as reflected in the very roots of last week’s gathering, American-Iranian relations have oscillated between impolite and precarious.