On November 4, 1979, Iranian student activists stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking over 60 Americans hostage. What was planned as a 48-hour sit-in to protest American imperialism, ballooned into an international crisis and 24/7 media event that would last 444 days. With never-before-seen archival footage and revelatory new interviews with the American hostages and Iranian hostage-takers alike, the series is a gripping chronicle of one of the most dramatic international deadlocks in American history, a deep dive into the geo-political history that led to the crisis, and an exploration of the political fallout that reverberates today.
Seasons & Episode
Under the rule of Mohammad Reza Shah, Iran experiences an oil-driven economic boom, but the government’s excesses and repressive tactics lead to increasing hostility towards the monarch and his closest ally: the United States. As religious cleric Ayatollah Khomeini grows in popularity, the Shah flees and the country becomes engulfed in revolution, endangering the U.S. embassy.
November 1979. In protest of the United States’ long-standing relationship with the now-deposed Shah, an Iranian student group plans a 48-hour sit-in at the American embassy in Tehran. But what starts as a political statement quickly turns into chaos as Khomeini’s regime sanctions the embassy takeover and uses it to shore up power.
With 1980 fast approaching, and the crisis nowhere near ending, the situation takes on a life of its own in American and Iranian media. After diplomatic efforts to secure the hostages’ release fail, and their fates become more dire, President Carter launches a rescue operation – with disastrous results.
A year into the siege, Carter works furiously to secure a deal as the 1980 U.S. presidential election approaches. As Ronald Reagan prepares to take office, the outgoing administration enters a final, desperate diplomatic push. Today, those on both sides of the conflict weigh in on the crisis’ complex and enduring legacy.
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