The Shah of Iran was a good ally of the US for a long time. He died on this day in 1980 after a long fight with cancer.
During his exile, he traveled from country to country looking for treatment.
He was treated in the US but the Islamic militants demanded his immediate return. The US refused to negotiate and they responded by storming into US embassy and holding the diplomats hostage for 444 days.
It was a humiliating experience for the US and an early sign that fanatics would run Iran.
The Shah was not perfect but did try to modernize Iran, specially the status of women. He was certainly a lot better than what followed!
Thankfully, his family has lived in the US since. His widow Empress Farah wrote a good book about him and the family.
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