IRANIAN HOSTAGE CRISIS: Revolution, Diplomacy & a Hollywood Rescue

Summary

Podcast Summary: Chris DiStefano Presents: Chrissy Chaos

Episode: IRANIAN HOSTAGE CRISIS: Revolution, Diplomacy & a Hollywood Rescue
Release Date: July 28, 2025

---

Introduction

In this episode of Chrissy Chaos, host Chris DiStefano delves into the intricate history of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, exploring the revolutionary movements, diplomatic tussles, and the eventual Hollywood-inspired rescue mission that captivated the world. Joined by co-host Sergio Chacon, the discussion weaves through historical events with humor and sharp insights.

---

Background of the Iranian Hostage Crisis

Historical Context (00:31 - 02:46):
Chris begins by setting the stage in the 1970s, highlighting the role of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi—a monarch with authoritarian control over Iran, heavily supported by the United States. He humorously compares the Shah to pop culture figures, stating, "He kind of looks like Ricky Velez" (02:28).

Economic Factors: Oil Dominance:
The conversation underscores the pivotal role of oil in U.S.-Iran relations, emphasizing that the Shah ensured steady oil supplies to Western countries, leading Chris to quip, "It's all about oil, people" (02:30).

---

Rise of Revolutionary Sentiment

Public Unrest and Revolution (03:00 - 05:13):
As economic disparities grew and Western influence permeated Iranian society, widespread protests erupted against the Shah's regime. Sergio interjects with humor, portraying the Shah's decline, "What you gonna do? Keep the prices down" (02:46).

Chris elaborates on the unification of various societal factions—from religious leaders to students—in opposing the Shah, noting, "Decades of frustration... brought unity to the Iranian people" (04:06).

---

The Shah’s Fall and Khomeini’s Ascendancy

Exile of the Shah (05:12 - 07:14):
The Shah's deteriorating health forced him into exile for cancer treatment in Egypt, a move that ignited further unrest. Chris remarks, "This opens up a path for the Ayatollah Ruhola Kolani" (07:14), indicating the shift in power dynamics.

Ayatollah Khomeini’s Return (08:03 - 10:33):
Upon the Shah's departure, Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran, greeted by massive crowds, swiftly declaring the monarchy illegitimate and establishing the Islamic Republic. Sergio humorously critiques the term "Ayatollah," likening it to amusing rebrands, "Ayatollah sounds so playful" (09:33).

Khomeini's strict Sharia Law implementation is discussed, with Chris explaining its implications on Iranian society, especially regarding women's rights and societal freedoms.

---

Escalation to Hostage Crisis

Diplomatic Tensions (11:07 - 14:05):
The episode transitions to the diplomatic fallout from the Shah's acceptance of U.S. cancer treatment. Chris emphasizes, "They let the Shah into America, and now they're holding us hostage" (22:06), highlighting the immediate backlash.

Embassy Takeover (14:11 - 25:05):
On November 4, 1979, radical Iranian students storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 66 American hostages. Chris provides a vivid description: "The hostages were being held in offices, storage rooms, and basement cells" (27:50). Sergio adds levity, remarking on the situation's gravity, "The crowd swells to, like, thousands. Everybody, death to America" (28:36).

---

Diplomatic Efforts and Military Intervention

Failed Negotiations (25:05 - 31:10):
President Jimmy Carter's attempts at diplomacy falter as Iran remains uncooperative. Chris notes, "Carter freezes all Iranian banking assets, escalating tensions" (31:10), illustrating the shift from negotiation to economic pressure.

Operation Eagle Claw (31:40 - 35:59):
The U.S. launches a military rescue mission, Operation Eagle Claw, which disastrously fails. Chris summarizes, "Helicopters collided in midair, killing eight servicemen" (35:59), underscoring the operation's impact on the crisis's escalation.

---

Conditions of the Hostages and Psychological Warfare

Hostage Treatment (35:59 - 36:54):
Chris and Sergio describe the harrowing conditions faced by the hostages, including mock executions and psychological torture. Chris shares, "They did mock sex, mock executions... It was all fake" (36:19), highlighting the severe psychological tactics employed.

Selective Release of Hostages (33:54 - 34:37):
Notably, Iran releases hostages based on race and gender, a decision Chris criticizes sarcastically: "So we got 53 American hostages, all white men..." (34:33), pointing out the discriminatory nature of the releases.

---

Resolution and Aftermath

Algiers Accords (39:21 - 40:28):
The crisis culminates with the signing of the Algiers Accords on January 19, 1981, just before Ronald Reagan's inauguration. Chris explains, "This allows them to release the hostages and give them back the money" (39:13), marking the end of the 444-day ordeal.

Reception and Legacy (39:45 - 40:35):
Upon their return, hostages feel abandoned by President Carter, who doesn't receive gratitude for their release. Chris reflects, "They looked like [Tom Hanks in] Castaway...they felt abandoned" (39:45), critiquing Carter's handling of the situation and its impact on his legacy.

---

Insights and Conclusions

Political Implications:
The episode highlights how the crisis severely damaged U.S.-Iran relations, establishing long-standing animosity and setting the stage for future conflicts. Chris remarks, "That's why you don't let dictators in for medical treatment" (40:35), summarizing a key takeaway.

Cultural Reflections:
Through humor and candid conversation, Chris and Sergio offer a perspective on how political decisions intertwine with cultural and societal impacts, emphasizing the complexities of international diplomacy and its human costs.

---

Notable Quotes

• "It's all about oil, people." – Chris DiStefano (02:30)

• "They let the Shah into America, and now they're holding us hostage." – Chris DiStefano (22:06)

• "Death to America." – Crowd (as referenced by Sergio Chacon (28:36)

• "They looked like [Tom Hanks in] Castaway...they felt abandoned." – Chris DiStefano (39:45)

---

Conclusion

Chris DiStefano and Sergio Chacon provide an engaging and informative exploration of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, blending historical facts with humor and personal insights. By dissecting the events from the Shah's overthrow to the eventual release of the hostages, the episode offers listeners a comprehensive understanding of one of the most pivotal moments in U.S.-Middle Eastern relations.

For those interested in the intersection of history, politics, and personal narratives, this episode of Chrissy Chaos serves as a compelling listen that both educates and entertains.

---

Note: This summary intentionally excludes promotional segments and advertisements presented within the episode to focus solely on the core content discussing the Iranian Hostage Crisis.

Transcript

[Mental Health Advocate]

Living with schizophrenia isn't easy, especially when you're not getting relief from some of your symptoms. It can be hard when you're still dealing with symptoms like hearing voices or seeing things that aren't there, and negative symptoms like feeling unmotivated or avoiding social situations. If this sounds familiar, it might be time to talk to your healthcare provider and explore a different kind of schizophrenia treatment. Discover your [e-mail] all right, everyone.

[Chris DiStefano]

Welcome to Christeries. My name is Chris DiStefano, aka Chris Re Stefano, and this is Christeries. Welcome to Christeries. I wanted to talk to you today about the Iranian hostage crisis, because I feel like I'm being held hostage by Sergio in a bucket hat. Foreign what do you know about the Iranian hostage crisis? Besides, it probably had something to do with Donald Trump, right?

[Sergio Chacon]

Yo, I'll tell you what I know about Iranians. My favorite one is Iron Chic. And Hulk Hogan just met his fate. And Iron Sheik has been up there for, you know, I'm assuming the pearly gates. And Iron Sheik is in a. Meet Hogan at the pearly gates in a cobra clutch. So that's what it is.

[Chris DiStefano]

Wow. So there you have it. Sergio Chacon said, Donald Trump will go to heaven. So let me take you back to the 1970s when your pop was doing crack.

[Sergio Chacon]

Actually, it was heroin. He had some class. He had a whole little kit.

[Chris DiStefano]

So there's a shah. His name is Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. He kind of looks like Ricky Velez. If you look up our good friend Ricky Velez. Well, you don't have to look. He's awesome. You know, he's blowing up. So look up Ricky Velez. And this looks like an older Ricky Velez, who's Iranian. So he's the Iranian monarch at the time in the 1970s. And he was a king, but he really was like a dictator, right? Near total power. Right. Trump is now right. No King's protest. So he had the secret police and they were spying, torturing people, blah, blah, blah. But for decades. I don't know if you knew this, but the United States was allies and supporters with the Shah in 70s the. Because for what reason did the United States want him to have power? What do you think it was?

[Sergio Chacon]

They probably want to take over.

[Chris DiStefano]

What, does Iran have nuclear missiles? No. In 1970, oil, oil, oil. Bing, bing, bing, bing, bing. It's all about oil, people. I like to rub it on my face and do blackface with oil. Sorry.

[Sergio Chacon]

Which, by the way, I'm a big fan of baby oil. But did he fuck that up for all of us?

[Chris DiStefano]

That's true, that's true. So we're a fan of Middle Eastern oil, but not Diddy oil. Yeah, they should just call it Diddy oil now.

[Sergio Chacon]

Yeah, but I love baby oil. Early 2000, I done oiled some booties.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yo, would you bang Ghislaine Maxwell back in the day? I bang her now. There you have it.

[Sergio Chacon]

You know what I'm saying? I'll boo for fucking. Yeah, I'll boof some paraphernalia for her. I'll put it right in my asshole. And visit Elaine. I'll be like, I got you, girl. What you need, Twix? What you need? What you need?

[Chris DiStefano]

Some Cheetos. So, oil.

[Sergio Chacon]

Just in case your audience don't know Booth means you put it up your ass.

[Chris DiStefano]

No, my audience knows. Okay, so oil and Cold War politics. These were the biggest reasons why the United States has the had this, you know, relationship with Iran. So Iran had huge oil reserves, and the Shah kept the oil flowing to the West. Okay, so, you know, American companies, British companies, they had deep investments in oil. They are heavily involved in Iran's oil industry. Iran is not the enemy. In the 1970s, that's why the gas prices were so low, because oil Iran was giving us a good deal. So a pro Western shah, which is what this dude was meant cheap, reliable access to oil. So thank you, shout out to low gas prices. So Iran. Do you know where Iran is located?

[Sergio Chacon]

It's the Middle East.

[Chris DiStefano]

Right. But do you know what country it borders?

[Sergio Chacon]

Is it Libya?

[Chris DiStefano]

Well, one of them. But one of the countries that borders Russia. Okay, so Russia still cold war enemy of the United States. 1970s Cold War enemy, still an enemy to this day. Shout out. And they wanted a strong communist. The United States wanted Iran. Because Soviet Union is such a communist threat. They were like, we want a border country basically blocking the communism. So the shot acted as like a defensive wall against Soviet influence. So Shaw spent also. What else was the Shah doing? Not only oil. You know, us, he was buying our weapons. He's spending billions on them nukes. He's spending billions on them nukes.

[Sergio Chacon]

Yeah, those weapons of mass destruction, that's what it is.

[Chris DiStefano]

So US Companies were just making so much money. Cuz at the end of the day when people say, oh, wars about this and the humanitarian causes and all that stuff, it's just about money to the big dogs up top, these presidents and kings, it's just about money. It's never about the people. It's just about money. You all Right, Yeah. What year were you born?

[Sergio Chacon]

1979.

[Mental Health Advocate]

Ooh.

[Chris DiStefano]

Well, this is January 1978. So you're swimming in your daddy's baltack by now. So this is about the time Sergio, you about swimming in. Kind of looked like a sperm. So Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, the guy who I said looks like Ricky Velez, the authoritan, you know, he's got the authoritarian. I just had a stroke, authoritarian rule. They start. The people start to rebel against that. Because, yes, he's cool with us, but the people like, nah, you're a dick. So they start to protest. You would have been at the protest. Yeah.

[Sergio Chacon]

So protesting in arms.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yes. So. And you know, in Iran. In Iran, you protest, you get fucked up for that. Okay. It's not just, you know, it's not like the United States, not just a bunch of lesbos walking down the street, blocking traffic. So decades of frustration, the Iranians, you know, everybody from all walks, it actually brought unity to the Iranian people. Religious leaders, students, workers, middle class rose up protesting the Shah. The economy was struggling. Okay. No money inequality was growing. And people just felt disconnected from their culture and religion because of the Western influence. So the Middle east is saying, we were fine before the west came in. That's what a lot of these Middle Eastern countries say a lot of. Unfortunately, you look at a lot of these Middle Eastern countries before US Influence, and it looked pretty good. They look pretty good. We come and we fuck things up. What are you going to do? Keep the prices down. These protests grew larger and larger. The Shah tried to crush the protests, you know, hurt people, killed a few people. And then people just started getting. People started galvanizing against the cause. The crowds just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And then in 1978, these demonstrations, they led directly to the fall of the monarchy in 1970, in 1979. And it was the beginning of the end for the Shah. And it's what we call the Iranian revolution began in 1979. So this is leading right into this Iranian hostage crisis, because shit is getting unstable, Pop.

[Sergio Chacon]

Yeah, yeah.

[Chris DiStefano]

So the Shah leaves Iran, okay? Because in January 1979, he had cancer. And he didn't want to tell anyone that he had cancer.

[Sergio Chacon]

What kind of cancer did he have?

[Chris DiStefano]

He had a non Hodgkin's lymphoma. So he had. But he was like, not, you know, you can't back in those. While still the. The Middle Eastern leaders, like, you can't show weakness. So if you're sick at all, like the North Korean people think Kim Jong Un's never taken a shit because he told him if he doesn't shit. That's a real. That's a fact. He's told the North Korean people that he never shits, and they believe him. I'm telling you. Google it. That's a fact. So it's wild. And his people and the Koreans believe it. So the shah leaves, right? And so the Shah, you know, he'd been. She's had this non Hodgkin's lymphoma since about 1974. Now it's 1979. The illness was getting bad by 1979.

[Sergio Chacon]

Can't get over a leader telling his.

[Chris DiStefano]

People, Kim Jong Un.

[Sergio Chacon]

So he's just like a body of shit.

[Chris DiStefano]

He tells people he never. She tells people he doesn't shit.

[Sergio Chacon]

Like that weird science creature full of shit.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yeah. He tells people he doesn't shit, and they believe him. So what are you gonna do?

[Sergio Chacon]

He has no. It's just smooth.

[Chris DiStefano]

He tells him how you pull a pants off. Yes, Kendall.

[Sergio Chacon]

It's just like a smooth.

[Chris DiStefano]

They believe he doesn't have an. Yes. So the shah, you know, his health's deteriorating and being sick is a sign of weakness, and he wants to hide all that. Like, my man fdr, I drive on it every day, shout out to fdr, that traffic crazy. Yeah. So. So he leaves. He actually. He goes on a vacation to Egypt, but nobody's going on vacation to Egypt. What are you going to see, the pyramids? He goes on vacation Egypt, where the President of Egypt, his name was Anwar Sadat, he welcomed him in, said it's all good. And then the Shah actually came to the US for cancer treatment. So how does that make you feel? Right. A lot of people out here can't get health coverage, but we're letting in the Iranian shah, bloodthirsty shah, so he could get cancer treatment. So the king goes away, the Shah. So this opens up a path for the Ayatollah Ruhola Kolmani, Ayatollah Ruhola Khomeini. So this guy, the Ayatollah, this is kind of how Iran, the way Iran is today, you know, it's run by the ayatollah. It's kind of like, you know, they got hardcore Sharia law and all that. It starts here with this dude, 1979.

[Sergio Chacon]

Because Ayatollah sounds so playful, though.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yeah, right?

[Sergio Chacon]

It sounds like it's the same thing with, like, all these, like, factions that, you know, these warlord groups. Like, sometimes I feel like they need to rebrand their Names.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yeah. Like what?

[Sergio Chacon]

Like the Ayatollah is like.

[Chris DiStefano]

That's cute. Yeah, it's cute.

[Sergio Chacon]

The same thing I've always thought ISIS was like, it reminded me of like a, like an ice. Like. Yeah, like some sort of like, like.

[Chris DiStefano]

It sounds nice. Yeah, isis and my favorite porn star, ISIS love.

[Sergio Chacon]

Yeah, it kind of ISIS love.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yo, she's hot, yo.

[Sergio Chacon]

It reminds me of like Italian ices or some shit.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yeah. So who was the Ayatollah? Rula Khormini? So he was a Shia Muslim religious scholar and a political activist. So he's into political activism. He's all about, you know, being a hardcore muzzy wuzzy Shia Muslim. That's Sharia law. That means only you can only see the, the wife's eyeball, the women's eyeballs. As you saw, as you say, three false cloth. Yeah.

[Sergio Chacon]

These women got to wear three force of cloth.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yeah. And the term Ayatollah, it actually means high ranking religious leader, like a cardinal in the Catholic church. So that's what it is in the Muslim faith. So this dude, by the way, Colimani, he was speaking out against the shah since the 60s, 60s. He hates the Western influence, he hates the United States. He's the death to America guy hates them, wants all these reforms, blah, blah, blah. And you know, he hates that the Shah, he hates that the Shah who flee fled to Egypt is all about being in business with the United States and Israel. And he's telling the people that's the devil. He thinks we're like Satanists. Right.

[Sergio Chacon]

This shot, you know the original founder of Satanism, Anton lavey, I read his book.

[Chris DiStefano]

Where is he from?

[Sergio Chacon]

He's from the United States, of course. Yeah. He had an interesting quote like, every human has a demon in them that should be exorcised, not exorcised. A beast in them. Every human has a beast in them that should be exorcised, not exorcised.

[Chris DiStefano]

Well, we know what Sergio's next tattoo is gonna. They're probably going to put it on.

[Sergio Chacon]

One of his feathers, shout out to Antar Lavey, yo. Phase in 1999.

[Chris DiStefano]

So he's going through, through the 60s and the 70s. While the Shah is, you know, running Iran, Ayatollah Kolhamenei is going through Iraq, France, basically speeches, tapes, back to Iran, basically preaching the word of the West. Sucks. You need me back in there. So Khamenei. So the Shah leaves to go to go to Egypt for the cancer treatment. Kolomeni comes back to Iran two weeks later because he had banned The Shah had banned Khomeini from Iran for all those years. So now he steps back in. And when he gets back, when Kolhomeini comes back on February 1, 1979, goes to Tehran, the capital of Iran. Three million people are there waiting for him. Three million people just waiting and clapping for him. It's like a Nate Bargazzi show. Wow. Yep. So 3,000. So a crowd of 3 million. So he's got the country on his side a lot. So within days, he says, the Shah's government's illegitimate, they're out. And he appoints his own interim prime minister. Bar Zagarn was the guy's last name. And he and the. The entire military of Iran, that was for the Shah. They all went with Kolimani. So now the Shah can't come back. It's basically like, yo, you lost your whole country, Pop. It's like when a guy comes in and you know, if I was having sex with your wife and he takes over your family, it's happened to a couple of people I know. So.

[Sergio Chacon]

So he got. He got.

[Chris DiStefano]

He was a lot of those children might not be yours.

[Sergio Chacon]

So he's stuck in Egypt.

[Chris DiStefano]

He's stuck in Egypt, cancer treatment, dying, can't go back to his country. He's out. So Kolamini is now the supreme leader of the revolution. He's the guy. Right, so.

[Sergio Chacon]

And what are his politics exactly?

[Chris DiStefano]

Is he Kholameni? Yes, bro. Dictatorship, Muslim law, Sharia law. Cover your women. Covered head to toe. Muslim.

[Sergio Chacon]

And the leader before him, who just got what wasn't as hardcore, the leader.

[Chris DiStefano]

Before the Shah, because he was getting all that Western oil money, he would let you know, the U.S. he said.

[Sergio Chacon]

Yeah, we could throw McDonald's there.

[Chris DiStefano]

Exactly. He had the U.S. embassy in there. But Kolimani is saying, I want everybody who's in the west is my enemy, so get them out of here. So national vote. They changed the name of Iran to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Like that is the official name when Colombia. So it's like crazy. And. And then he becomes the country's supreme leader. That's what he wants. If you, if you are living in a country and your leader has the word supreme in front of it, it's not good. Supreme is good in the United States for little fashion, like your hat. But you don't want to have your leader being supreme.

[Sergio Chacon]

Yeah, Dogs so supreme. I like a supreme clientele. Ghostface Killer second album Guys, I want.

[Chris DiStefano]

To talk to you about a little product called House of Atlas. If you're into shaving your face, then you're going to want to use House of Atlas razors. I've been using it and I've been shaving my face, shaving my balls. I've been shaving any part of my body that grows hair. Okay? My legs are kind of more hairless like a Chinese man. I have the legs of a Chinese man, so I don't grow much hair there. But I do get facial hair and I do grow hair in and around my nut sack and in my asshole. And I use House of Atlas razors to shave that. And I think you should too. Because first of all, the Atlas razor looks sick. It's a sleek design, easy to hold and maneuver with a nice freaking weight to it. It's got a nice weight to it. And I like the black one. You know why? And it's truly the best looking razor I've ever seen. I mean, this race is. You want, you're going to want to have sex with this razor. The coolest part is the precision trim edge that's revealed by flipping back the serum strip for straight edges. And detailing allows you to get right under your nose and create straight sideburns. And that'll be the only thing straight about you. Their aftershave is awesome too. It doesn't burn like old school aftershave, but it does have a nice cooling sensation. And it smells really good because that's. You also want to smell good. Okay, you want to smell good. Maybe, you know, maybe Steve Fury's girlfriend wants to dump him because he's not using House of Atlas razors and he doesn't smell good. So that could be it too. And the premium razor kits come with a magnetic storage hook that you can attach to your bathroom mirror or medicine cabinet for easy storage. So right now, for a limited time only, they're often 20% off site wide, plus free shipping. @houseofatlas.com Just use the code Chaos at checkout. And that's H O U S E O F A t l a s.com with promo code CHAOS for 20% off everything. And House of Atlas is now available at Target stores nationwide. So you know they'll be selling them in the parking lot. Getting your grooming game on point has never been easier. Stop wasting money and time on shaving products that don't look good, aren't effective, and cost way too much. Visit HouseOfAtlas.com today. Trust me, you'll love it as much as I did. Let me see those pubes. If you're like me instead of learning to skateboard, you wish you were learning to write code, because that's what I'd say. Instead of scraping through college, you wish you bought Bitcoin at less than a cent or secured a few Nvidia shares before they bombed. Yep, we might be the FOMO generation, but don't miss out on protecting your future. For around the same price per month as one of your streaming services, you can break our generational cycle and secure your and your family's future by by finding life insuranceelectquote.com here's the truth. I do like selectquote.com and I have life insurance myself and I've gotten the chance to meet some of my fans from the podcast that I deeply appreciate. And I urge you all to get life insurance because you're some of the fattest people I've ever seen in my life and you guys can barely breathe. I mean, the amount of 4 XL T shirts I sell on my website is alarming. Okay, you fat fucks need life insurance. And I want you to use select quote, select quote, life insurance. Pick the policy. Here's the thing. Life is a wild ride. Okay, Steve Fury here. Steve Fury's in the background to the camera. He's a guy. So Steve, come in here, Steve. So this is Steve Furey, everyone. He's on my show. That's it, he's on my show. Now, Steve is from a little town called Sacramento. Now if you're from Sacramento, I would say absolutely, get life insurance because the last time I was there, the homeless were burning the city down by the river. So they were just lighting garbage on fire. They murdered a couple people in the streets. So if you live in any state capitol or near any state capital, you're going to want life insurance. You're going to want to use select quote. Okay, Pat Williams. I would also, the other guy on the show, I would also urge him to get life insurance, but it isn't as urgent because he's living in Halifax, Nova Scotia right now and he's probably going to before the year is over. So I don't know if that happens, if he's going to be able to get the life insurance, but hopefully he is. And if he does, I urge him to use select quote and get that life insurance. That's what you're looking for. Life insurance policy today with select quote. Tell him Chrissy Chaos sent you. So the other day I got a box to the house and all these wonderful snacks. They were healthy snacks, like summer snacks, barbecue flavored stuff. The kids Were going through it. I said, where the hell is this from? And then I looked at the box and it was Thrive Market. I can't tell you how good the snacks were at Thrive Market. We had, let me tell you what we had. So they had the road trip snacks. My kids had like those like good, like granola mix, you know, like the almonds, they had like a little chocolate in them. We had these barbecue sticks. They had wine. There was wine in the market. So that was nice. That was nice because we were on a road trip and the kids were going wild and my wife was getting like all out of shit, you know, yelling and crazy. And then she was yelling at me and I'm like, I just need to get to where we're going. I just need to get to colonial Williamsburg, Virginia and put on a colonial outfit and grab a musket. Like I need to escape my life. So I gave her some of this clean wine from Thrive Market and I just slipped it in her drink with a little Ambien and she fell right asleep and I had really a nice trip. And Thrive market, they, they have magnesium B12 antioxidant rich snacks like green tea and omega 3 seed M. If you're, you know, if you and your husband want to deal, you know, like, listen, here's the truth. If you're a small woman who does yoga or a gay man, you're gonna, your Thrive market even works for you because they have all this stuff. Like this is magnesium B12. Come on, it's beautiful. Stock up smart this summer with Thrive market. Go to thrivemarket.com chaos to get 30% off your first order. 30% is crazy. That's a lot. Plus a free $60 gift just for signing up. I mean, I don't even know how this company makes money. They're giving 30% off and they're giving you a $60 gift. That's amazing. Thrive Market. You guys are amazing. Thrive Market.com Chaos Thrive Market.com Chaos get the gluten free buns. Those are really good. I like those gluten free buns. And they got low sugar treats. So if you want to keep your feet, you'll go to Thrive Market. Boys, I want to see your rock hard cocks. Let's see him. There it is. See? See how his is harder? That's a Blue Chew cock. That's what I want to talk to you guys about. Blue Chew. Thank you for sponsoring the episode. You know me. I want to see your RHPs, your rock hard penises. I want you guys, to DM them to me. I know which ones are Blue Chew and which ones aren't. I'm getting really, really good. And I know that Pat Williams is not using bluechew, but his boy is, so that. Listen, and here's the truth, guys, okay? Their tablets are made in the United States of America. So you get freedom boners. You know that they're good, and your Cox will just knock people right over the wall. And that's what we want to say. Look, we've got a special deal for our listeners. As always, you get your first month of BlueChew Free. Just use the promo code Chaos at checkout and pay five bucks for shipping. That's it. You literally five bucks and you get a boner delivered to your door. Discreet packaging. Nobody knows but you and your cockpit. Join BlueChew's mission to upgrade humanity one thrust at a time. Head to bluechew.com for details and important safety info. I want you to walk into every single room you enter. Dick first. Okay? That's what I want. I want you knocking people Unconscious with your BlueChew peepee. Big thanks to BlueChew for sponsoring the podcast. I'm hard. So he. He brings in his. His religious and political authority and he creates the new system and combining Islamic law, which is Sharia law, with absolute clerical rule, which is the same system in. That's in Iran today. So that's what I'm saying. Iran that you know of right now, that United States almost went to war with that dropped a fucking bunker buster bomb on. Is. Is this Iran? It's the same thing.

[Sergio Chacon]

So a very, very poor country, right?

[Chris DiStefano]

Yes, very poor.

[Sergio Chacon]

Because United States, you know, put an embargo on them. They're not really allowed to trade with.

[Chris DiStefano]

Many people, but they got that. But they. They have a lot of oil, so they do have a lot of money, you spot.

[Sergio Chacon]

They internally, they had. They're very wealthy, but they're unable to trade a lot of people.

[Chris DiStefano]

Exactly, exactly. And actually, by the way, the shah winds up getting cancer treatment in New York in October 1979. So right about when you, boy, you're born in September 11, 1979. Right? Right. So the Shah's getting cancer treatment in October 1979. So he knew that. He might have been in the room next to you.

[Sergio Chacon]

He might have side kicking to my mom.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yeah, he's possible, but this is a big problem. The reason I'm mentioning that is because this is what kind of causes the issue. So, you know, he's getting. They don't Want to let the Shah in. A lot of like the Iranian people are like, we, you know, because again, they hate the America. So when he comes to America, the U.S. henry Kissinger, who was the former U.S. secretary of state, and David Rockefeller, who was the head of Chase Manhattan bank from the Rockefeller family, he was such. They were such close political allies and friends of the Shah that they let him in. They let him into the country to get cancer treatments. And a lot of people were like, why are you doing that? Don't let this guy in here. But they did it. And so what happens then is all the US like people who are working in the embassy back in Iran are now. The Ayatollah says, oh, wow, they just let the Shah, who we hate, into America now. Now we're going to hold you guys hostage basically, so that the Americans are sitting there being like, why are you letting this guy into the country? We're still in Iranian soil. This is going to piss them off. But Jimmy Carter and Henry Kissinger are like, fuck it. We have. We made deals with this guy, whatever. So this is going to cause a big problem.

[Sergio Chacon]

And because they're mending to his knees.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yes.

[Sergio Chacon]

Not going to take it out right. On the, on the U.S. right people.

[Chris DiStefano]

Right.

[Sergio Chacon]

In Iraq. So Jimmy, who are these people?

[Chris DiStefano]

And like, they're like, they work in the embassy. They're like, American Embassy. Like. You ever seen the movie Argo?

[Sergio Chacon]

Yes.

[Chris DiStefano]

With this. This is the story of, of that.

[Sergio Chacon]

Right.

[Chris DiStefano]

So Argo. Argo is a movie that.

[Sergio Chacon]

Politicians, per se.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yeah, the politicians like just on foreign sword. Which they were okay to be there with the old shot because he was pro western, but now the. This new Ayatollah doesn't like them. And now you just let the old shot into your country. Pissed them off even more. Yeah.

[Sergio Chacon]

That's crazy. So this stuff, this place is crumbling down and, and they can't exit. They're probably trying to get passports together.

[Chris DiStefano]

They can't get anything. And they're watching this on the news like, what the hell? And Jimmy Carter's like, oh, it was the right thing to do to let a dying man of cancer into our country to get treatment. It's like, yo, he was a bloodthirsty. He was like a dictator and killed his own people. You let him in because you made money off him. And now you let your Americans, they're going to wound up being hostage for 444 days. We'll get to that. But that's. It gets wild. So what happened was, is Henry Kissinger famously Said it is a disgrace that the United States should not let a man who was our ally for 37 years into our country for cancer treatment. It's like, all right, dogs. I know he was your ally, but things have changed now. And, you know, you have American people in the country that there's no way out for them.

[Sergio Chacon]

How many hostages they.

[Chris DiStefano]

So I think there was 44. I forget we're going to get to the exact number. But this inflamed the tensions in Iran immediately. Like, immediately. This causes a big problem. So Shah's, first of all, him even getting into the United States. Outrage. Many people viewed the Shah as the brutal dictator responsible for years of oppression and torture. And what Iranians feared is, what Iranians were scared of is that they thought the US Was going to help the Shah return to power and kick out the Ayatollah. Just like because in 1953, they CIA backed a couple to basically put. That's what the. That's what the United States CIA does. They. They stage these coups to get their leader in that would help them with their. So that's what they thought was going to happen again.

[Sergio Chacon]

So the shot, they've done that countless times. I believe they did that in Nicaragua, they did that in Afghanistan.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yep. So what happens is this is. This is where it gets to the crisis. Now, in November 4, 1979, he was just a young pup, a group of radical Iranian university students calling themselves the Student Followers of the Imam's Line. Bet you're going to want to read a book about them. Student protesters. You love it. Organize a protest outside the US Embassy in Tehran. And their main demand was the extradition of the Shah. So what they said was, deliver the Shah back to us and we'll go away. And the US Is saying, no, he's getting cancer treatment here. Fuck you. So that's putting the actual American citizens who are sitting inside the embassy in Tehran in a very, very, very difficult situation, which years later the government will admit. We shouldn't have done that. If you have no Americans in the country, do whatever you want, but you know you have people in the embassy and that the Iranians are not going to let them go. So what begins as a demonstration escalates. Then the students storm the embassy compound. They overwhelmed the guards and they took 90 people hostage, including 66American diplomats and citizens. They knocked out the Marines like they had Marines guarding it. And they just overpowered them. Around 10:30am on November 4, 1979, they. They knocked down the embassy gates, cut through the chains Overwhelmed the Marine guards. And then the US Personnel raced that. They was trying to destroy all their documents, like, you know, anything that could be taken by the, you know, quote unquote, Iranian enemy. But they couldn't get it in time, so they only were able to, like, shred half of the documents. So Iran got their hands on a lot of, like, US Stuff that they shouldn't have their hands on. Embassy workers were blindfolded, tied up. I know a lot of guys are jerking off right now. Embassy workers, they were blindfolded, tied up, and they were shoved into various rooms at gunpoint. So it's not like they were being treated nice. The Iranians were like, fuck y'. All. So students, the hostages were held in offices, storage rooms, and basement cells.

[Sergio Chacon]

It does kind of make it sound nicer that there's students that are doing this.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yeah, yeah, it's nice. As an Iranian parent, I'd be like, I'm happy that, you know, this is what I'm paying for college for. And they were. So the Iranian hostages are being held, right? You know, the American hostages are being held. And then they're hearing death, death to America. Chants all outside in. Yo. The crowd swells to, like, thousands. Everybody, death to America. And you're just like, magic. You're just like a political guy. Like, you're in a suit, you know, you wearing tighty, whitey underwear. You don't know what the fuck you're gonna do, right? There's nobody to help you now. You're on your own. And the US Is saying we're cutting off diplomatic ties with the Iranians, so. So the students are raised in the Iranian flag proudly. Sounds like a protest in New York City. Burning American flags in front of news cameras. What is this? Williamsburg, Brooklyn?

[Sergio Chacon]

And the Voice crackers are insane.

[Chris DiStefano]

And then by nightfall, they had 66Americans in captivity. And the embassy was under full control of the students. This is now. We are now in a crisis. You have just reached crisis mode. So Bargazan, the diplomat that. That Ayatollah Khomeini, the. The Sharia law, the new leader of Iran, the guy that he appointed, Bargazon, actually says, let's release the hostages and maintain international law. So he's thinking, logically, let's just get him out. But Ayatollah Khamenei says, nope, that the US Embassy is a den of spies. We're keeping them as spies. So he's like, oh, shit. So the next day, then Bargazan resigns in protest. And he's like, you know what? I'm not. I'm not gonna. I'm not dealing with this. So then that leaves. Kamani is fully like the full supreme leader of the Islamic Republic. Has nobody checking his power. It's just him. So technically, by the students invading the US Embassy, they were violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which protects diplomats. Diplomats are supposed to be protected. Like, you can't. You can't hurt a diplomat. You can't. You gotta let them park in your house.

[Sergio Chacon]

They can also literally get away with murder.

[Chris DiStefano]

They really can. And they probably have.

[Sergio Chacon]

They have many times over.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yeah. Here we go. Oh, God. So what happens is, is this really messes up, like, the diplomatic relationship, the international law and all that. I was gonna say. So, yeah, anything. As soon as you start hearing Death to America surgical, it gets hard. So what Kolimani does is he cancels all the military treaties that he has with the United States. So the United States and Iran were making money back and forth, so he cancels all that. He's like, fuck y'. All. Fuck y'. All. So this kind of.

[Sergio Chacon]

What kind of treaties did they have besides, I guess, multiple different.

[Chris DiStefano]

Well, they were buying weapons from them and they had these military. And Iran had military treaties where they were basically blocking. They were blocking any Soviet kind of influence into the Middle east because, you know, United States was trying to stop communism. So they stopped all that. And they were basically. Iran was like. Basically like, we're going to team up with Russia now? We're not your friends anymore, pretty much. So this is that anti Western policy that still is involved in the US it still is involved in Iran today. It's all come from this. So then what happened? So that was November 4, 1979. Three days later, November 7, 1979, President Jimmy Carter, who some people. Oh, I think just as recently voted, they said, worst president United States history. They don't like it. This really tarnished. According to who knows, According to freaking buzzfeed.

[Sergio Chacon]

The New York Post.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yes, that's my favorite newspaper. President Carter, he sends a diplomatic team in and, you know, tries diplomacy first. Nothing. Not working. They don't want to negotiate with them. The ayatollah won't even meet with his people. It says, you know, United States, Iran is not interested in talking to the United States diplomatically. So what the. What President Carter does is he's tried to hit. He hits their pockets. He freezes all Iranian banking assets. So now you freezing my money.

[Sergio Chacon]

Fucking with money.

[Chris DiStefano]

Now you fuck with my money, Their.

[Sergio Chacon]

Money, fuck with their emotions.

[Chris DiStefano]

So this escalates tensions and signals that the US is shifting from negotiation to economic pressure. So they're gonna one stock up also quickly. When I told you about Argo, what that actual story is is six American diplomats escaped through the back door amid the chaos of that day of November 4th. And so they, that's what the movie Argo is about, is the six who escaped. It's actually a dope movie and a dope story. So they collaborated with the Canadian government and they got into the Argo. The six American diplomats who escaped, one of them being played by Ben Affleck, they, they hid with Canadian diplomats in Tehran for 79 days, moving between two safe houses. And the CIA agent Tony Mendez actually created the COVID story which was a fake Hollywood sci fi film crew scouting locations in Iran, codename Argo. They made a fake production company script ads and they held a press event in la. It was like a whole, like this was a fake movie that was fully just to get these hostages out, fake passports and all that. And the operation actually remained classified for 17 years until it was dramatized in Argo. And the. Some of the stories like that, parts of the movie that weren't true is the dramatic airport chase, which was one of the best parts of the movie that never happened. The fake film project was actually more elaborate in real life than it was in the film. And the hostages weren't in one house together the whole time. They were in a bunch of different houses. So here's what happens. On November 19, 1979, the hostage takers release 13American hostages. Why? They released two women, Elizabeth Ann Swift and Catherine Kub, and 11 African Americans. But no white people. Racist. They wouldn't release the whites because the captors claimed this was based on the special place of women in Islam. Allah has a special place for women in Islam. And it also meant that this meant at the time that men should not physically harm women or imprison them in unjust circumstances. And they also had. Iran wanted solidarity with oppressed minorities in the U.S. so because the 11 black hostages were considered minorities, they were released early. So I wonder you as a Puerto Rican, if they would release you or not.

[Sergio Chacon]

I think they would.

[Chris DiStefano]

You think they would?

[Sergio Chacon]

Yeah.

[Chris DiStefano]

But Ancestry.com you're mostly white, right? You have a lot of Portuguese. Portuguese, yeah. So. So they said to the, to the black hostages and women, you are not our enemies. You are oppressed people just like us. And that was a tough thing for the hostages because you're like, on the one hand, I'm getting out, but on the Other hand, you're using me as propaganda, so I don't know. So now these. We got 53American hostages, all white men, and they got held for 444 days. But you're okay with that because they're white. You're okay with the white hostages? Yeah. That's not too long. 440. You could do anything for 444 days. Yeah. That's a year and a half. Yeah.

[Sergio Chacon]

You don't have those about like this.

[Chris DiStefano]

In an Iranian prison.

[Sergio Chacon]

What were the conditions now?

[Chris DiStefano]

So here's. We'll get to that. Because the conditions started out being okay, and then they got bad. Then, then. Then they just started really not caring about them at all. But so the US military, by the way, tried to save the hostages. April 24, 1980, US military launched a top secret mission called Operation Operation Eagle Claw. And it was awful, bro. The helicopters collided in midair, killed eight servicemen, and. And it. All it did was basically show Iran. Oh, they're about to send the military in. So that made the ayatollah, right. Said, okay, so now you want to use military force. Now we're going to really deteriorate these hostages conditions. We were treating them nice before, but now you're sending helicopters in. So this is what. This is what really tarnishes Jimmy Carter's legacy, because they're like, you fucked this whole thing up. And that's why with the recent Iran, Iranian US War, it was like, what is Trump going to do? Because if you send in troops and it's a disaster, you're going to be Jimmy Carter. So that's why it was tough. But he sent in the bunker buster bomb. Now what happens is. Ayatollah, hey. Just calling to say that your dinner's ready. Okay, great. Thank you very much. We'll get it. So the nice lady, Ayatollah Khomeini and the Revolutionary Guard. I like that name for an army. The Revolutionary Guard. It's nice. They took over control of the hostages directly.

[Sergio Chacon]

Okay.

[Chris DiStefano]

And the students. And then they started moving the hostages from. They had them first in the embassy and, like, rooms. Now they're putting them in actual Iranian prison, like, chaining them to the floor, only feeding them enough to survive. They did that for. For, like, months. One guy was in solitary confinement for the entire 444 days with no lights on.

[Sergio Chacon]

He should start acting right.

[Chris DiStefano]

For real. Yeah.

[Sergio Chacon]

He's probably a troublemaker.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yeah. Came out praising Allah. So hostages, they couldn't speak to each other, they couldn't walk freely. They Weren't even allowed to stand up unless they were going to the bathroom. Yeah, Sucks. There was all these horrible stories. A couple of them tried to commit suicide. One guy started bashing his head on the, on the floor. Another guy tried to cut himself with Gl. The guards would carry out mock sex, mock executions. They would throw dummies down onto the elevator shaft, you know, hanging with hoods on their head in front of the other captors saying, we just killed your boy. And they thought, where next? Blah, blah. But it was all fake.

[Sergio Chacon]

Yeah, it's torture.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yeah. So they let one guy out, Richard Queen Yas, because his health was really deteriorating. And Iran released him citing humanitarian reasons because they actually didn't want any of the hostages to die because they knew if the hostages died, that's humanitarian crisis and that's going to be a big problem that's going to make the world then turn on Iran. So they're basically trying to be like, we got your hostages, but we're not going to kill them. But we're going to make the hostages think we're going to kill them. They're playing mind games. July 27, 1980, the Shah dies of cancer in Egypt. He just fucking dies. Everybody thought, okay, this is going to end it now. You got the Shah's dead. But the Ayatollah says, nah, that ain't enough, Bob. That's not enough. You gotta unfreeze our banking assets. We want our money back. So Jimmy Carter's like, no, that's going to make the United States look weak. We're not unfreezing your banking assets. So the US frustration, it's getting bad in the United States because now the own people like, you'll get the hostages out of Iran. Like, why did you. Why are they there in the first place? It's getting bad. And ayatollah Khomeini on September 12, 1980, one day after your first birthday, says there's new conditions for the hostages releases. He says he wants to shah's wealth that the United States stole back and he wants to unfreeze Iranian assets. So Carter wouldn't budge. He said that releasing the funds without securing the hostages would reward Iran's hostage taking and weaken US credibility. We do not negotiate with terrorists. So Algeria, believe it or not, shout out Algeria. They acted as a neutral mediator. Thank you, Algeria. And they helped Iran. They all the meetings were happening there. They were basically like calming tensions down. And Iran agreed to release the hostages once it saw a signed agreement and the US agreed to unfreeze Iranian assets and pledge non interference after the hostages were freed. So January 19, 1981, US and Iran signed the Algiers Accords. They were called and this allows them to release the hostages and give the money back. However, this was President Jimmy Carter had just. He wasn't get. He didn't get reelected. President Ronald Reagan was coming in so purposely Iran just so Jimmy Carter wouldn't get the presidential credit. They did not release the hostages until January 19, 1981, after Reagan was inaugurated.

[Sergio Chacon]

Wow.

[Chris DiStefano]

So I'm sorry, waited till January 20, 1981, when Ronald Reagan was sworn in just for a last you to Jimmy Carter.

[Sergio Chacon]

Yeah.

[Chris DiStefano]

So. And then it's crazy because when, when they came back, when the, when the, the people came back, when the hostages got back to the. They released them from Iran and they brought them back to West Germany. Jimmy Carter was there and they like, didn't really even want to hug. Like he went to hug them all and they were just kind of standing there. If you look at the footage, they were kind of like, this is your fault that we had to do this. So I'm not, It's. Thanks, but no thanks. Wow. Yeah.

[Sergio Chacon]

Did they look all malnourished? Did they look like Tom Hanks?

[Chris DiStefano]

Castaway in Philadelphia, full blown aids. William Dougherty, who endured total solitary confinement, said it was not a warm welcome. Many of the hostages felt abandoned when Carter allowed the Shah into the US Believing it put them at risk. So that was the big problem, is when they let the Shah have the cancer treatment. This is what really caused the issue. And you know, it was a huge relief in the U.S. obviously, because, you know, we got the hostages back, but it tarnished Jimmy Carter. It tarnished Jimmy Carter's legacy, and it just wasn't good. And that's why you don't let dictators in for medical treatment. Kim Jong Un wants to come in because he needs to take a shit. He can't come into the United States, Pop. It's what it is. What did you learn?

[Sergio Chacon]

I didn't know he.

[Chris DiStefano]

You weren't paying attention.

[Sergio Chacon]

I was. I didn't know Jimmy Carter was, was hated that much because of that.

[Chris DiStefano]

Yeah.

[Sergio Chacon]

Yeah, I didn't know that. Interesting.

[Chris DiStefano]

That's what it is. And that's it, baby. That was a little bit of the Iranian hostage crisis. Tell me what you like. Tell me what you didn't like. And remember yesterday was.