By: History.com Editors

1979

Iran hostage crisis begins after U.S. embassy in Tehran is stormed

History.com Editors

Published: February 09, 2010

Last Updated: March 02, 2025

Student followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini send shock waves across America when they storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979. The radical Islamic fundamentalists took 90 hostages. The students were enraged that the deposed Shah had been allowed to enter the United States for medical treatment and they threatened to murder hostages if any rescue was attempted. Days later, Iran’s provincial leader resigned, and the Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran’s fundamentalist revolutionaries, took full control of the country—and the fate of the hostages.

Two weeks after the storming of the embassy, the Ayatollah began to release all non-U.S. captives, and all female and minority Americans, citing these groups as among the people oppressed by the United States government. The remaining 52 captives were left at the mercy of the Ayatollah for the next 14 months.

Iran Hostage Crisis

Explore the chain of events that set off the Iran hostage crisis - an diplomatic standoff that would keep Americans on edge and shape the course of Jimmy Carter’s presidency.

President Jimmy Carter was unable to diplomatically resolve the crisis, and on April 24, 1980, he ordered a disastrous rescue mission in which eight U.S. military personnel were killed and no hostages rescued. Three months later, the former shah died of cancer in Egypt, but the crisis continued. In November 1980, Carter lost the presidential election to Republican Ronald Reagan. Soon after, with the assistance of Algerian intermediaries, successful negotiations finally began between the United States and Iran.

On January 20, 1981—the day of Reagan’s inauguration—the United States freed almost $3 billion in frozen Iranian assets and promised $5 billion more in financial aid. Minutes after Reagan was sworn in, the hostages flew out of Iran on an Algerian airliner, ending their 444-day ordeal.

How the Iran Hostage Crisis Became a 14-Month Nightmare for President Carter and the Nation

In November 1979, a group of Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held its occupants hostage, beginning a 444-day standoff that nearly brought the two countries to war.

The Iranian students, who have occupied the U.S EmTEHRAN, IRAN - NOVEMBER 19: The Iranian students, who have occupied the U.S Embassy in Tehran, are singing during the second released group of U.S. Embassy staffers hold a press conference 19 November 1979, two days after Ayatollah Khomeini ordered the release of all women and black U.S. hostages. Fanatical followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini stormed the United States Embassy, 04 November 1979 in Tehran, occupied the building and took nearly 100 embassy staff and Marines hostages. (Photo credit should read H. KOTILAINEN/AFP via Getty Images)

By: Sarah Pruitt

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on November 4th

1777

George Washington learns of effort to discredit him

In a letter that General George Washington receives on November 4, 1777, he is informed that a conspiracy is afoot to discredit him with Congress and have him replaced by General Horatio Gates. Thomas Conway, who would be made inspector general of the United States less than two months later on December 14, led the effort; as such, it became known as the Conway Cabal.

1791

Native Americans deliver crushing defeat at the Battle of the Wabash

On November 4, 1791, a multitribal confederation, formed to resist colonial expansion into their historical homelands, routs a large contingent of U.S. troops along the Wabash River in western Ohio.

1842

Abraham Lincoln marries Mary Todd

On November 4, 1842, struggling lawyer Abraham Lincoln marries Mary Anne Todd, a Kentucky native, at her sister’s home in Springfield, Illinois.

1918

Poet Wilfred Owen killed in action

On November 4, 1918, just one week before the armistice was declared, ending World War I, the British poet Wilfred Owen is killed in action during a British assault on the German-held Sambre Canal on the Western Front.

1922

Entrance to King Tut’s tomb discovered

British archaeologist Howard Carter and his workmen discover a step leading to the tomb of King Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt on November 4, 1922.

Entrance to King Tut's Tomb Discovered

1924

California legalizes professional boxing after 10-year ban

On November 4, 1924, California voters pass a measure to legalize professional boxing, a sport outlawed in the state because of safety concerns since 1914. "Manly Art Returns," reads a headline in one newspaper.

circa 1925: American boxer Jack Dempsey (1895 - 1983) poses outdoors in a fighting stance. He wears boxing trunks and gloves.

1928

One of New York’s most notorious gamblers is shot to death

Arnold Rothstein, New York’s most notorious gambler, is shot during a poker game at the Park Central Hotel in Manhattan on November 4, 1928. He died in the hospital two days later.

1948

T.S. Eliot wins Nobel Prize in Literature

On November 4, 1948, T.S. Eliot wins the Nobel Prize in Literature, for his profound effect on the direction of modern poetry.

1956

Soviets put a brutal end to Hungarian revolution

A spontaneous national uprising that began 12 days before in Hungary is viciously crushed by Soviet tanks and troops on November 4, 1956. Thousands were killed and wounded and nearly a quarter-million Hungarians fled the country.

1960

Jane Goodall observes a chimpanzee making and using tools

In a groundbreaking discovery, primatologist Jane Goodall witnesses a chimpanzee in the act of making and using tools on November 4, 1960—an ability previously believed to be exclusive to humans.

1963

General Minh takes over leadership of South Vietnam

In the aftermath of the November 1 coup that resulted in the murder of President Ngo Dinh Diem, Gen. Duong Van Minh, leading the Revolutionary Military Committee of the dissident generals who had conducted the coup, takes over leadership of South Vietnam.

1990

“Dances with Wolves” premieres in Los Angeles

On November 4, 1990, Dances with Wolves, a film about an American Civil War-era soldier and a group of Sioux Native Americans that stars Kevin Costner and also marks his directorial debut, premieres in Los Angeles. The film, which opened across the United States on November 21, 1990, was a surprise box-office success and earned 12 Academy Award nominations, including Best Actor for Costner. Dances with Wolves took home seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, and solidified Costner’s place on Hollywood’s A-list.

1995

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin assassinated

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is fatally shot after attending a peace rally held in Tel Aviv’s Kings Square in Israel. Rabin later died in surgery at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.

2008

Barack Obama elected as America’s first Black president

On November 4, 2008, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois defeats Senator John McCain of Arizona to become the 44th U.S. president, and the first African American elected to the White House. The 47-year-old Democrat garnered 365 electoral votes and nearly 53 percent of the popular vote, while his 72-year-old Republican challenger captured 173 electoral votes and more than 45 percent of the popular vote. Obama’s vice-presidential running mate was Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, while McCain’s running mate was Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, the first female Republican ever nominated for the vice presidency.

President Barack Obama

2008

Proposition 8 is passed in California, banning same-sex marriage

With over 13 million votes cast, California voters approve Proposition 8 on November 4, 2008, amending the state’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

2016

Paris Agreement comes into effect

On November 4, 2016, the Paris Agreement comes into effect. A sweeping international pledge to dramatically reduce carbon emissions, the agreement remains a potential turning point in the history of human relations with the Earth’s climate.

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Citation Information

Article title
Iran hostage crisis begins after U.S. embassy in Tehran is stormed
Website Name
History
Date Accessed
March 23, 2025
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
March 02, 2025
Original Published Date
February 09, 2010

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