Occupation of the U.S. Embassy in Iran; 38 Years Later

38 years ago, on November 4, 1979, a group of students who called themselves followers of Imam Khomeini climbed over the wall of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, occupied the building, and took several staff members hostage. Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, referred to the occupation of the U.S. Embassy on November 4, 1979, as the second revolution, claiming it was greater than the revolution of 1979. Jimmy Carter, the then President of the United States, retaliated by first issuing statement number 4702 on November 12, 1979, banning the import of Iranian oil products into the U.S., and two days later, he issued executive order number 12170, which ordered the seizure of all Iranian assets in the U.S. and at American financial institutions in Europe. One of the impacts of the hostage crisis on Iran could be considered the country's isolation on the international stage. This week's program discusses the consequences of the U.S. Embassy occupation in Tehran, featuring two guests: Mohsen Milani, a political science professor at the University of South Florida, and John Limbert, one of the American hostages.