The Rest Is History – Episode 638

Revolution in Iran: The Hostage Crisis (Part 3)

Hosts: Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook
Release date: January 26, 2026

Overview

In this gripping installment, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook trace the dramatic escalation of the Iranian Revolution into the infamous 1979-81 Hostage Crisis. They examine the storming of the US Embassy in Tehran, the paralysis of Jimmy Carter’s administration, the fate of the hostages and the Shah, and how this seismic event shaped perceptions of the US, Iran, and revolutionary politics worldwide. The hosts interlace rich historical background, keen parallels to both European revolutions and modern events, and darkly comic insights with their characteristic banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Seizure of the US Embassy (04:08–05:40, 28:49–37:01)

• The reading of a radical student declaration sets the tone (02:40). The occupation is painted as a protest against "the espionage embassy of America"—seen as a den of imperialist interference.
• November 4th, 1979: Around 300 Iranian students storm the US Embassy in Tehran, swiftly overwhelming a small contingent of Marines. The action was inspired by the idea of a brief symbolic protest but became a long, transformative standoff with 66 Americans initially taken hostage.
• Students, heavily influenced by both 1960s/70s activist culture and Iranian revolutionary fervor, only planned for a short occupation (“They’d brought enough food for three days, thinking that's the longest it would last.” – A, 29:42).
• Within hours, the occupation became a full hostage crisis, with “seismic geopolitical implications.”

2. Confusion and Power Struggles in Revolutionary Iran (07:31–13:09, 16:05–22:41)

• Recap of events post-Shah: Street protests and chaos in early 1979 give way to Ayatollah Khomeini’s return and consolidation of power. Paramilitaries loyal to Khomeini control the streets; however, the future character of Iran’s political system remains unclear.
• There is deep paranoia akin to the French Revolution: fears of counterrevolution, foreign plots, and US interference are rampant.
• The embassy is targeted as "the den of spies,” with echoes of the French Revolution’s fixation on the Tuileries Palace.
• The Americans are aware of these risks: the embassy faced previous violent uprisings and warnings, including Khomeini’s initial personal assurance of protection—a promise that becomes deeply ironic.
• The US still retains a diplomatic presence to maintain dialogue with moderate elements and for intelligence reasons (“The CIA have listening posts on the border with the Soviet Union—critical at the time.” – A, 15:20).

3. The Shah in Exile and US Dilemmas (17:38–24:42, 61:46–64:02)

• After fleeing Iran, the Shah wanders from Morocco to the Bahamas, then Mexico, shunned by the US and UK due to security fears and diplomatic risk.
• Carter’s internal debate: Torn between humanitarian (and previous personal) obligations to the Shah and warnings that admitting him could provoke violent reprisals against Americans in Iran.
• "Whatever you do, don’t allow the Shah of Iran into the United States." warns outgoing ambassador Sullivan (18:08) — advice ultimately ignored.
• The Shah is reluctantly admitted to the US for urgent cancer treatment in October 1979, setting off the student plot and embassy takeover.
• Even after the embassy crisis, the Shah is shuffled onwards (to Panama, then Egypt), hounded by ill health, isolation, and at one point, General Torrijos' Marxist sociology professor as a minder (“…charged $21,000 a day for board and lodging… a Marxist sociology professor lecturing the Shah on the evils of imperialism.” – A, 62:43).
• He dies in Cairo, July 1980, with Iranian media crowing: "He died in disgrace, misery, and vagrancy… the bloodsucker of the century has died at last." (63:56–64:02).

4. Inside the Hostage Crisis (38:24–56:40)

• Hostages initially believe “it will be over in a day or two… maybe a few days.”
• The occupation grows grim: Hostages are threatened, abused, subjected to mock executions, and regularly blindfolded. Women and African American hostages are released shortly into the crisis as a political gesture.
• Only six diplomats escape, aided by the Canadians—later dramatized in “Argo” (35:06–36:25):

  “The Canadians, who are the great heroes of this story, teamed up with a CIA agent called Tony Mendez. […] They pretended they’d been working as Hollywood film scouts…”

• The majority (52) remain captive for an agonizing 444 days.
• The captors demand the Shah’s extradition, US apologies for the 1953 coup, and the unfreezing of Iranian assets—yet these demands are mainly pretext:

  “…the demands were irrelevant because Khomeini and the clerics didn’t want to release the hostages. They were too useful.” (44:29)

• Hostage conditions in the embassy and, later, Iranian prisons are described with harrowing detail.

5. Khomeini’s Calculations & Revolutionary Dynamics (41:13–46:29)

• Khomeini is reportedly surprised by the embassy seizure, initially ordering that the students be “kicked out.” But, quickly seeing public rapture and political advantage, he embraces the event.

  “We keep the hostages, finish our internal work, then release them. This has united our people.” — Khomeini, quoted via biography (43:00)

• The crisis cements hardline rule and marginalizes moderates:

  “The interim government resigned days after the embassy seizure… hardliners left unchallenged.” – A, 44:06

6. The American Response: Politics, Media, and Public Sentiment (47:45–60:54)

• Carter’s popularity briefly surges (“rally to the flag”), but erodes as days drag on and solutions prove elusive.
• American media amplifies the drama with nightly updates: “Every edition… began, ‘Day 57, Day 58’—the sense of a ticking clock.” (52:36)
• The crisis becomes a “Manichean” standoff between good and evil (51:13), both in Iran and the US:

  “The day after the students occupy the US Embassy, [Khomeini] coins this phrase, ‘the Great Satan.'” — B, 51:13

• Hostage families become pop-cultural touchstones (Washington Post’s poignant Christmas coverage of Penny Langan, tying a yellow ribbon around her tree); yellow ribbons become a nationwide symbol of hope and solidarity.
• The crisis sets off wild, sometimes darkly humorous, reverberations: “Nagaski, Hiroshima, why not Iran?” chanted at US campuses, and novelty songs like “Bomb Bomb Iran.”

7. Global Aftershocks and the “Crescent of Crisis” (67:29–70:06)

• Revolutionary Iran inspires further unrest across the Middle East, even as embassies in Pakistan and Libya are attacked and burned.
• Time magazine names Khomeini “Man of the Year,” declaring his revolution “matters more than any political event since Hitler’s conquest of Europe.” (68:25)
• At the same time, the Soviet Union, fearful of radical Islam, invades Afghanistan (December 1979), expanding the geopolitical crisis.
• Carter’s administration reels amid economic recession, rising inflation, and relentless criticism for perceived passivity.

8. America’s Desperation: Plans for a Daring Rescue (70:09–71:55)

• Public and political pressure mount for action (“Why doesn’t the President actually do anything?… Bomb Iran, wipe them all out.” – B, 70:09).
• In March 1980, Carter orders plans for a breathtaking Special Forces rescue mission—“one of the most daring gambles in American history”—a cliffhanger left for the next episode.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

(Timestamps in MM:SS format)

• On the students’ revolutionary paranoia paralleling 18th-century France (09:19):

  “There’s a deep fear, even paranoia among Khomeini’s partisans… It reminds me a lot of the French Revolution… Guess what – they were [right].” — A (08:38, 09:19)

• On the students’ motivations (29:04):

  “Let’s make a stand... Strike at the imperialists, strike at the imperialists. Why don’t we break into the US Embassy and from there proclaim our message to the world? Brilliant idea.” — A

• On Khomeini’s evolving reaction (41:13):

  “When his foreign minister went to him and said, this is what has happened, Khomeini was really surprised… by that evening, he already seems to have changed his mind… his son went to the embassy and reported back, people love it…” — A

• On Carter’s agony (47:45):

  “He can’t sleep. He’s always going off to prayer meetings. He insists on personally meeting the families of all the hostages… I think a lot of this is guilt.” — A

• On the media circus and symbolism (56:40, 58:18):

  “People tied yellow ribbons to trees, lampposts, flags… Jimmy Carter put a yellow ribbon on his Christmas tree.”

• Khomeini on Carter (49:57):

  “He [Khomeini] mocked Carter. ‘Carter does not have the guts to engage in Military action.’” — A

• On the “Great Satan” phrase (51:13):

  “The day after the students occupy the US Embassy, he coins this phrase: the Great Satan… This isn’t a Quranic phrase; the Ayatollah seems to have made it up.” — B

• On the Shah’s miserable exile (62:43):

  “He had to endure bedside visits from Henry Kissinger and Frank Sinatra.” — A

• Official Iranian verdict on the Shah’s death (63:56):

  “He died in disgrace, misery, and vagrancy. The bloodsucker of the century has died at last.” — Official Iranian statement

Timestamps for Pivotal Segments

| Segment | Time | |---------------------------------------------------|---------| | Student declaration and embassy seizure | 02:40–05:46 | | Escalation and Carter context | 05:46–07:31 | | Khomeini’s rise, post-revolution chaos | 07:31–13:09 | | Embassy’s vulnerable status and shifting power | 13:09–18:08 | | Carter’s dilemma on the Shah | 17:38–24:42 | | The Argo escape ("Canadian caper") | 35:06–36:25 | | Hostage ordeal and Iranian political uses | 38:24–46:29 | | Khomeini’s strategy and international optics | 46:29–49:57 | | The “Great Satan,” media, American response | 51:13–59:50 | | The Shah’s ignoble end | 61:46–64:02 | | Economy, global reaction, “Crescent of Crisis” | 67:29–70:06 | | Carter’s rescue gambit; episode cliffhanger | 70:09–72:22 |

Language & Tone

Tom and Dominic maintain a lively, accessible, and occasionally irreverent tone, full of sharp asides, pop culture references, and self-deprecating British humor:

• “It’s a Ronald Reagan image. That’s why I chose it.” – A (37:47)
• “Canadian Caper. It was called at the time, an amazing story... Of course he was called Tony Mendez.” – A (36:25)
• “The rest is millinery, Tom—we’re not the rest is millinery!” – A (42:50)
• “If there are any Shah-friendly Iranian exiles listening, I’m distancing myself from Tom here.” – A (64:19)

They balance weighty analysis—on revolutionary dynamics, American foreign policy, and the psychology of political leadership—with stories about hats, novelty songs, and the comedy of diplomatic disasters.

Conclusion

This episode delivers a compelling and darkly witty retelling of the transition from revolutionary hope to international crisis, unraveling the Iranian Hostage Crisis in personal, political, and global dimensions. Listeners gain historic context, critical insight into the psychology of revolution and American power, and the stage is set for a breathtaking next episode on Carter’s desperate rescue attempt.

For further reading, Tom and Dominic recommend Mark Bowden’s “Guests of the Ayatollah.”