Timeline of the Iranian hostage crisis

Time line of the hostage situation in Iran on November 4, 1979 involving United States citizens

Part of a series on the

Iran hostage crisis

Topics

* Timeline
* Background
* The Interim Government
* Islamic Republic

Hostage leaders

* Ruhollah Khomeini
* Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha

Parties and organizations

* Student Followers of the Imam's Line
* People's Mujahedin of Iran
* Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization

Events

* Canadian Caper
* Operation Eagle Claw
* Operation Credible Sport

* v
* t
* e

Iranian students enter U.S. embassy in Tehran. An anti-Iranian protest in Washington, D.C., in 1979. Overview of the wreckage at the Iranian Desert after the failed rescue operation by Delta Force, April 1980. Americans welcoming the six freed hostage by Canadian diplomats during the Iran hostage crisis, 1980.

This is a timeline of the Iran hostage crisis (1979–1981), starting from the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi's leaving of Iran and ending at the return of all hostages to the United States.[1]

## 1979[edit]

* 16 January: Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi leaves Iran for exile to Egypt.
* 1 February: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Iran from France after fifteen years of exile
* 22 October: Shah Pahlavi arrives in the United States for cancer treatment.
* 4 November: Aggressive planned demonstrations take place near the Embassy of the United States. About 500 demonstrators climb over the embassy's fence as Iranian police look on. Embassy clerks ask for help from the Iranian government which does not come as promised. Embassy guards defend the compound with tear gas because firearms are not permitted for use. Secret documents are burned in the embassy. About ninety people are taken hostage of which 66 are American.
* 4 November: 52 hostages are taken to the Ambassador's residence while the embassy remains under the demonstrators' control.
* 5 November: Iranian government cancels all defense treaties with the United States and the Soviet Union.
* 6 November: Iranian Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan's cabinet resigns. Iran is ruled by the Revolutionary Guards under the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
* 7 November: U.S. President Jimmy Carter appoints two former federal officials, Ramsey Clark and William Miller, as delegates to negotiate the end of the hostage crisis. Ayatollah Khomeini refuses to see the delegation.[2]
* 12 November: Iranian Foreign Minister Abolhassan Banisadr says the hostages will be released if the U.S. deports the Shah back to Iran.
* 14 November: The U.S. Government freezes the Iranian State bank accounts in the U.S. banks.
* 17 November: Khomeini orders the release of 8 African-American and 5 female hostages. 53 hostages remain held.
* 29 November: The U.S. sues Iran to the International Court of Justice for violating international law.
* 15 December: Shah Pahlavi leaves the U.S. for Panama.

## 1980[edit]

* 28 January: Six American diplomats escape with Canadian passports from Iran with help from the Canadian Embassy in Tehran.
* 25 March: Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi returns to Egypt.
* 7 April: The U.S. cuts all diplomatic relations with Iran and puts Iran under embargo.
* 24 April: Negotiations fail and president Carter orders military rescue mission to free the hostages. Rescue fails in the Iranian desert as two helicopters collided. Eight U.S. soldiers die in the accident.
* 11 July: One hostage is freed for health reasons. 52 hostages are still in the Embassy compound.
* 27 July: Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi dies in Cairo, Egypt, after a cancer operation.
* 12 September: Ruhollah Khomeini puts new terms to release the hostages; the U.S. has to release all of the Shah's currency assets from his American bank accounts. According to the Iranian government, the worth of the foreign assets are about 32 billion U.S. dollars.
* 4 November: U.S. Presidential election is won by Ronald Reagan.
* 10 November - 8 January 1981: U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher's delegation negotiates alongside the Algerian government with a representative from the Iranian government on terms to free the hostages.

## 1981[edit]

* 19 January: U.S. and Iran sign an agreement over the hostages. Iran releases all of the hostages and U.S. frees 8 billion U.S. dollars of Iranian State assets from American banks.
* 20 January: U.S. president-elect Ronald Reagan takes the oath of office. Only 20 minutes after Reagan's oath, Iran releases all 52 hostages who are flown to West Germany via Algeria where former U.S. president Jimmy Carter takes them back to the United States.
* Ten days after the release of the hostages a motorcycle parade takes place in New York City's Broadway.

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Iran Hostage Crisis Fast Facts". CNN Middle East. 16 September 2013.
2. ^ Cumming-Bruce, Nicholas (November 8, 1979). "Tehran". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 April 2021.

* v
* t
* e

Iran–United States relations

Diplomatic posts|

* Embassy of Iran, Washington, D.C.
* Ambassadors of Iran to the United States
* Embassy of the United States, Tehran
* Ambassadors of the United States to Iran
* Interests Section of Iran in the United States
* Consulate-General of the United States, Tabriz
* Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
* Iran–United States Claims Tribunal
* Iranian Directorate
* Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group

Diplomacy|

* Persian Corridor
* Persian Gulf Command
* Nationalization of the Iranian oil industry
* 1953 Iranian coup d'état
* Abadan Crisis Timeline
* Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations and Consular Rights
* Exercise Delawar
* Project Dark Gene
* Safari Club
* Island of Stability
* Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's letter to George W. Bush
* Correspondence between Barack Obama and Ali Khamenei
* Phone conversation between Barack Obama and Hassan Rouhani
* Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
* Negotiations
* Joint Plan of Action
* Framework
* Reactions
* Criticism
* Aftermath
* U.S. withdrawal

Conflicts|

* Iran–Iraq War
* United States support for Iraq
* Bridgeton incident
* Iran Air Flight 655
* Iran Ajr
* Iran–Contra affair
* Operation Staunch
* Operation Eager Glacier
* Operation Earnest Will
* Operation Prime Chance
* Operation Nimble Archer
* Operation Praying Mantis
* Syrian civil war
* Yemeni Civil War
* Arab–Israeli alliance against Iran
* Abraham Accords
* February 2019 Warsaw Conference
* Iran–Israel proxy conflict
* Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
* Russia–Syria–Iran–Iraq coalition
* International Maritime Security Construct
* Assassination of Qasem Soleimani
* reactions
* Thirteen revenge scenarios
* Donald Trump's threat for the destruction of Iranian cultural sites
* Operation Martyr Soleimani
* 2020 Camp Taji attacks

Incidents after 1979|

* Assassination of Paul R. Shaffer and John H. Turner
* Iranian Revolution
* Iran hostage crisis
* Timeline
* Guadeloupe Conference
* Operation Credible Sport
* Operation Eagle Claw
* Canadian Caper
* Jimmy Carter's engagement with Ruhollah Khomeini
* 1980 October Surprise theory
* Negotiations
* Algiers Accords
* America can't do a damn thing against us
* Beirut barracks bombings
* Khobar Towers bombing
* Lawrence Franklin espionage scandal
* Disappearance of Robert Levinson
* United States kill or capture strategy in Iraq
* United States raid on the Iranian Liaison Office in Erbil
* Kidnapping of Jalal Sharafi
* 2008 Naval dispute
* Filipino Monkey
* Project Cassandra
* Detention of American hikers
* United States diplomatic cables leak
* 2011 alleged Iran assassination plot
* Strait of Hormuz dispute
* RQ-170 incident
* MV Maersk Tigris
* 2016 Naval incident
* Nuclear program of Iran
* Timeline
* P5+1
* Operation Merlin
* Charming Kitten
* Stuxnet
* Kidnapping of Hossein Alikhani
* Arrest of Meng Wanzhou
* Deportation of Iranian students at US airports
* May 2019 Gulf of Oman incident
* June 2019 Gulf of Oman incident
* 2019 Iranian shoot-down of American drone
* 2019 K-1 Air Base attack
* December 2019 United States airstrikes in Iraq and Syria
* Attack on the United States embassy in Baghdad
* 2020 Iran explosions
* 2021 Erbil rocket attacks
* 2021 Natanz incident
* February 2021 United States airstrike in Syria
* Leaked Mohammad Javad Zarif audiotape
* June 2021 United States airstrike in Syria
* July 2021 Gulf of Oman incident
* August 2021 Gulf of Oman incident
* 2021 U.S.–Iran naval incident
* 2022 Erbil missile attacks
* 2023 Northeastern Syria clashes
* Seizure of Suez Rajan and St Nikolas
* Attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria (2023–present)
* 2024 Erbil attack
* Tower 22 drone attack

Legislation|

* United States sanctions against Iran
* Maximum pressure campaign
* Executive Order 12170
* Executive Order 12172
* Executive Order 13769
* reactions
* Trump travel ban
* Executive Order 13780
* Executive Order 13876
* Iran and Libya Sanctions Act
* Iran Nonproliferation Act
* Iran, North Korea, Syria Nonproliferation Act
* Iran Freedom and Support Act
* Iran Sanctions Enhancement Act
* Kyl–Lieberman Amendment
* Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act
* Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act
* Public Law 113-100
* Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act
* Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act
* Dames & Moore v. Regan
* United States Diplomatic and Consular Staff in Tehran
* Oil Platforms case
* United States v. Banki
* Bank Markazi v. Peterson
* Certain Iranian Assets
* Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran
* Alleged violations of Treaty of Amity

Groups and individuals|

* Iran Action Group
* Iran–America Society
* Iranian Students Association in the United States
* National Iranian American Council
* Organization of Iranian American Communities
* Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans
* United Against Nuclear Iran
* Farashgard
* Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
* Jundallah
* Kingdom Assembly of Iran
* National Council of Iran
* National Council of Resistance of Iran
* People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran
* Elliott Abrams
* Howard Baskerville
* William J. Fallon
* Brian Hook
* Joseph Macmanus
* Robert Malley
* Stephen D. Mull
* Jon Pattis
* Erwin David Rabhan
* Jason Rezaian
* Scott Ritter
* Craig Wadsworth
* Michael R. White
* Roxana Saberi
* Saeed Abedini
* Saeid Aboutaleb
* Shahram Amiri
* Sirous Asgari
* Mahmoud Reza Banki
* Haleh Esfandiari
* Amir Mirza Hekmati
* Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil
* Shahrzad Mirgholikhan
* Mohammad Hosseini
* Esha Momeni
* Mohammad Mosaddegh
* Baquer Namazi
* Siamak Namazi
* Sahar Nowrouzzadeh
* Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran
* Noor Pahlavi
* Trita Parsi
* Maryam Rajavi
* Abdolreza Shahlaei
* Ali Shakeri
* Masoud Soleimani
* Morad Tahbaz
* Kian Tajbakhsh
* Karan Vafadari
* Xiyue Wang
* Nizar Zakka
* Iranian Guantanamo Bay detainees
* Abdul Majid Muhammed

Related|

* 1998 FIFA World Cup match
* Academic relations between Iran and the United States
* American Islam
* Anti-American sentiment in Iran
* Axis of evil
* CIA activities in Iran
* Copyright relations
* Death to America
* Dual containment
* Great Satan
* International Conference on Hollywoodism
* Iran and state-sponsored terrorism
* Iranian frozen assets
* Opposition to military action against Iran
* State Sponsor of Terrorism
* United States involvement in regime change
* United States and state-sponsored terrorism
* 650 Fifth Avenue
* Alavi Foundation
* Alborz High School
* American Institute of Iranian Studies
* American School of Isfahan
* Community School, Tehran
* Damavand College
* Iran Bethel School
* Iranzamin School
* Saint Peter Church, Tehran
* Tehran American School
* "Bomb Iran"
* Overthrow
* Not for the Faint of Heart

Category
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template