History As It Happens

BONUS EP! Kharg Island, Carter, Khomeini, and 'Eagle Claw'

Host: Martin Di Caro
Guest: Jeremy Suri, historian and professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas
Release Date: April 1, 2026

Episode Overview

In this special bonus episode, Martin Di Caro explores how the dramatic events of the 1979-1981 Iran Hostage Crisis echo in contemporary geopolitics, particularly through the lens of attempted military interventions like Operation Eagle Claw and the geostrategic importance of Kharg Island. The conversation, featuring historian Jeremy Suri, connects past crises with current headlines, including recent decisions by President Donald Trump regarding U.S. actions in the Persian Gulf. The discussion highlights the continuity and evolution of U.S.-Iran dynamics, the roots of the hostage crisis, and how history’s lessons—sometimes forgotten—shape present-day policy.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The 1979-1980 Iran Hostage Crisis: Setting the Stage

• Origins:

  • The Iranian Revolution ousts the Shah; revolutionary uncertainty reigns.
  • Hostility toward the U.S. is fueled by its history of involvement in Iranian affairs.
  • Iranian students storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran (November 1979), taking 52 hostages.
  • The act is motivated by distrust and fear that the U.S. might try to reinstate the Shah or subvert the revolution.

• Media Impact:

  • The hostage crisis is broadcast on U.S. television nightly, deeply affecting American public opinion and political memory.
  • Ted Koppel's “Nightline” emerges as a nightly update show because of the crisis.
    • Jeremy Suri [04:34]: “It’s actually my first political set of memories as a young child watching what was this new show that this person we hadn’t seen before, Ted Koppel, was anchoring every night where we would get another story.”

Roles, Motives, and Tensions

• Student Radicalism & The Embassy Takeover:

  • Students act independently of Khomeini’s government but find tacit approval post hoc.
  • Their explicit demand: the extradition of the Shah from the U.S.
    • Jeremy Suri [05:08]: “The students paraded the hostages in front of the cameras. They demanded that the United States turn the Shah of Iran over. He was then in the United States convalescing.”
    • Host & Suri [05:19 - 05:32]: The U.S. allowing the Shah entry is the “precipitating factor… but the deeper issue was that the students didn’t want any American presence in Tehran.”

• Diplomatic Complications:

  • Most Americans left Iran, but a small group remained to keep communication channels open with the new regime.
    • Jeremy Suri [05:52]: “The ones who were there were there for a very good reason. We wanted to have some mechanism for talking to the new regime.”
  • Importance of embassies during regime change is underscored; tradition states such embassies should be protected.

U.S. Response & Operation Eagle Claw

• Political & Military Calculus:

  • President Carter faces immense pressure; tries both diplomatic and military solutions.
  • Eagle Claw: A daring U.S. rescue mission in April 1980 ends in disaster due to equipment failure and the tragic death of 8 U.S. servicemen.
    • President Carter [00:59]: “We were all convinced that if and when the rescue operation had been commenced that it had an excellent chance of success.”

• Alternative Considerations:

  • The Carter administration considered invading Kharg Island, a vital Iranian oil export hub, as leverage.
    • Host [01:08]: “President Carter and his national security team considered invading Kharg Island…A speck of land that was and is critically important to Iran’s oil exports.”

Kharg Island and Modern Parallels (2026)

• Recurrent Flashpoints:

  • Kharg Island remains geostrategically significant.
  • Host draws a direct line between Carter's 1980 deliberations and President Trump’s apparent consideration of similar strategies in 2026.

• President Trump’s Statements:

  • Contradictory and shifting U.S. goals regarding Iran, regime change, nuclear containment, and intervention tactics.
    • Donald Trump [02:07]:
      • “I had one goal. They will have no nuclear weapon and that goal has been attained. They will not have nuclear weapons.”
      • On military engagement: “We’ll leave because there’s no reason for us to do this...That’ll be for France. That’ll be for whoever is using the Strait.”
  • Host notes the confusion and unpredictability in the current administration’s public explanations.
    • Host [03:01]: “By the time you listen to this podcast, who knows what will be happening? The president has contradicted himself countless times and his cabinet secretaries offer different reasons for attacking Iran day after day.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the emotional power of nightly broadcasts:

  • Jeremy Suri [04:34]: “It’s actually my first political set of memories as a young child watching what was this new show that this person we hadn’t seen before, Ted Koppel, was anchoring every night where we would get another story.”

• On the precipitating cause of the hostage crisis:

  • Jeremy Suri [05:32]: “That was the precipitating factor. I think the deeper issue was that the students didn’t want any American presence in Tehran...”

• On embassies during revolutions:

  • Jeremy Suri [05:52]: “We wanted to have some mechanism for talking to the new regime…even in a revolution you protect embassy grounds.”

• On the uncertain, sometimes contradictory, political situation in 2026:

  • Host [03:01]: “The president has contradicted himself countless times and his cabinet secretaries offer different reasons for attacking Iran day after day.”

• President Carter on the rescue operation:

  • Jimmy Carter [00:59]: “We were all convinced that if and when the rescue operation had been commenced that it had an excellent chance of success.”

• President Trump’s definition of success:

  • Donald Trump [02:58]: “I had one goal. They will have no nuclear weapon and that goal has been attained.”

Important Timestamps

• 00:19-01:08 — News recaps of the hostage situation and Carter’s decision-making
• 01:08-02:07 — Kharg Island’s importance and contemporary echoes in Trump’s 2026 policy
• 02:07-03:01 — President Trump’s contradictory public statements about Iran
• 04:05-05:42 — Jeremy Suri’s “encyclopedia” history of the hostage crisis and the students’ motives
• 05:52-06:15 — The role of the embassy and diplomatic traditions in revolutionary situations

Conclusion

This episode offers a brisk yet rich exploration of the Iran Hostage Crisis, drawing connections between past and present U.S.-Iran confrontations. Anchored by Jeremy Suri’s insights and the host’s timely references to contemporary events, the conversation highlights recurring patterns: the strategic importance of Persian Gulf geography, the unpredictability of crisis management, and how domestic politics and historical memory influence real-time decisions. The episode’s tone blends clarity with a touch of world-weariness—acknowledging both the gravity and the recurrence of such dilemmas in American foreign policy.