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What happened in 1979 regarding the American embassy in Iran?

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Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants—mainly Islamist student revolutionaries—seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took American diplomats and staff hostage. Fifty-two Americans were held for 444 days (until January 20, 1981). The crisis followed the 1979 Iranian Revolution and anger over U.S. support for the deposed Shah, whose admission to the U.S. for medical treatment helped trigger the takeover. A U.S. rescue attempt (Operation Eagle Claw) in April 1980 failed, and the hostages were finally freed after negotiations under the Algiers Accords, coinciding with the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan. The event led to the severing of U.S.–Iran diplomatic relations.