444 Days Hostage Tension increases as the relationship between two countries weakens. This can lead to war or many other types of crises. A mob of young Islamic revolutionaries captured 66 Americans and held them hostage on November 4, 1979 in the American embassy in Tehran (PBS). Thirteen of these hostages were female and thus released and one was sent home for serious medical conditions (Jimmy Carter Library). No one could clearly say who the Islamic students represented or what they wanted to succeed. An Islamic government led by Ayatollah Khomeini came to power and Khomeini never favored the Americans (PBS). Special oil discounts given by the Shah to Americans were the cause of the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis (Iran Chamber Society). The hostages faced many difficulties, as did Jimmy Carter, the then President of the United States, who was challenged with weak foreign relations. During the Iranian hostage crisis, the civil liberties of Iranians and Americans were violated due to the Shah, poor government leaders, and the way the American hostages were treated. During the Iranian hostage crisis, the civil liberties of Iranians were violated because of the Shah. The special discounts on oil given to America by the Shah established a conflict between the United States and Iran and as a result the United States clashed with the Islamic clergy in 1963 (PBS). The Shah repressed the revolt, sending Ayatollah Khomeini into exile in Iraq, starting the Iranian Islamic Revolution (Iran Chamber Society). Then the United States offered the Shah to come to New York for medical treatment (Jimmy Carter Library). Ayatollah Khomeini's student supporters used this as an excuse to take American hostages... middle of paper... convinced them to remove special discounts on oil. Over the course of the Iranian hostage crisis, the freedoms of Americans and Iranians have diminished. This was a result of the Shah, poor government leaders, and the way the American hostages were treated. The Shah had a great impact on Americans and Iranians because of the conflict they started with special discounts on oil. Mediocre government leaders like Jimmy Carter and Ayatollah Khomeini have wreaked havoc in America and Iran. The way the American hostages were accounted for shows how people can be treated as if they had natural rights one day and have them taken away the next. We can conclude that there are many ways to start a conflict. And conflict can lead to many unexpected tragic events. A strong characteristic that all government officials should aspire to is the ability to solve a problem before it becomes bigger and bigger.