Tuesday, January 16, 1979

1979: Iran and the day that the Shah left

As you may remember, Iran was in the news for much of 1978.

On this day in 1979,  the Shah fled the country and traveled to several capitals before entering the United States in October for medical treatment.

Iran demanded the return of the shah but the Carter administration refused to negotiate.  

On November 4th, 1979, militants stormed the U.S. embassy in response  to the Shah entering the US.  The hostages were held for 444 days.  The Shah died in Egypt in July 1980 or in the middle of the hostage crisis.

The Shah's departure was quite a blow for the US and our interests in the region.   He was our ally in the region.  He wasn't perfect but did not invade his neighbors or start wars.  

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