638. Revolution in Iran: The Hostage Crisis (Part 3)
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hello, everyone. And we have some unbelievably exciting news for you all.
Tom, if anything, you are underselling it because this is truly spectacular. On the 4th and 5th of July this year, we are going to be hosting the inaugural Rest is History Festival out of all places, Hampton Court Palace. And crucially, this is just for the people who mean most to us. That is the members of the Rest Is History Club.
Tom, am I right? You are so right, Dominic. So if you want to access tickets for the festival, then you will need to become a member of the Rest Is History Club, which is so easy to do. All you have to do is go to therestishistory.com and it's a matter of seconds.
OK, so remember, by becoming a member of the Restless History Club, you will be able to enter that much prized ballot for tickets to this thrilling festival. But of course, on top of that, you'll get all our episodes ad free. You will get early access to our epic series. You will get weekly bonus episodes. You will get access to our exciting new exclusive miniseries. Most of all, you'll get an entree to our much-loved chat community and many more such exciting benefits.
So if you want guaranteed access to two tickets, you can join the very top tier of the club and become an Athelstan. You will also get the exclusive opportunity to upgrade to a VIP ticket, which includes a range of special perks, including, and this is so exciting, unlimited food,
and unlimited drink so go to therestishistory.com and sign up immediately it is going to be the most extraordinary weekend there'll be talks there will be thrilling special guests there will be historically themed music there'll be all kinds of treats there'll be all kinds of action there might even be some battles but above all it'll be a time for friendship to get to know your fellow members and to get to know Tom and me in a very, very special place, Hampton Court Palace.
And I know that I speak for Dominic as well as for myself when I say we cannot wait to see you there.
Like in the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, we Muslim students, followers of Imam Khomeini, have occupied the Espionage Embassy of America in protest against the ploys of the imperialists and the Zionists. We announce our protest to the world, a protest against America for granting asylum and employing the criminal shah while it has its hands in the blood of like tens of thousands of women and men in this country. So we protest against America for creating a malignant atmosphere of biased and monopolized propaganda and for supporting and recruiting counter-revolutionary agents against the Islamic Revolution of Iran. And finally, for its undermining and its destructive role in the face of the struggle of the peoples for freedom from the chains of imperialism, wherein thousands of revolutionary and faithful people have been slaughtered.
So that, of course, was a student and it was a female student. And she was phoning into a Tehran radio station on the afternoon of Sunday, the 4th of November, 1979. And she was speaking on behalf of a radical student group called themselves the Muslim students following the line of the imam. And what had prompted this call was a very dramatic development in the ongoing momentum of the Islamic revolution in Iran, because a few hours earlier, several hundred Iranian students had broken into the United States embassy compound in downtown Tehran. Their plan was, I mean, it's what students do all the time. They wanted to do a brief kind of symbolic occupation, turned into something much, much more serious with seismic geopolitical implications.
Because within a few days, they had taken 66 Americans hostage, including Marine Guards, CIA officers and operatives, and US diplomats. And Dominic This crisis escalated very, very rapidly and would become one of the most dramatic humiliations in the whole of American history.
Definitely. Yes. So hello, everybody. What an extraordinary reading that was. At one point, I thought you might be accused of punching down against female students.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:02–12:13
2
What events led to the storming of the American Embassy in Iran?
12:13–16:56
3
How did the Iranian students justify the hostage-taking?
16:56–20:52
4
What were the immediate consequences of the embassy seizure?
20:52–27:00
5
How did the U.S. government respond to the hostage crisis?
27:00–35:27
6
What role did the Ayatollah play in the hostage situation?
35:27–1:11:57
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The Rest Is History
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