Iran hostage crisis, international crisis (1979–81) in which militants seized 66 Americans at the U.S. embassy in Tehran and held 52 of them hostage for more than a year. During the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks conquered Iran bit by bit, establishing a Sunni empire. Precipitation is scarce across Iran, with the national yearly average at about 25 centimeters (10 inches). By 5000 BCE, Persia hosted sophisticated agriculture and early cities. Reagan delivered another ultimatum to his advisors: Find a way to bring those hostages home. The Iran-Contra Affairs. Since the Revolution of 1979, Iran has been ruled by a complex governmental structure. https://www.history.com/topics/1980s/iran-contra-affair. Persian politics normalized again with the founding of the Qajar Dynasty (1795-1925) and Pahlavi Dynasty (1925-1979). Brown University. Not surprisingly in such an ethnically diverse nation, Iranians speak dozens of different languages and dialects. This was the origin of the Pahlavis, Iran's final dynasty. What Is the Difference Between Iran and Iraq? The messianic Baha'i faith, on the other hand, has been persecuted since its founder, the Bab, was executed in Tabriz in 1850. Iran's constitution recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism (Persia's main pre-Islamic faith) as protected belief systems. Sited on the hinge between the Mediterranean world, Central Asia, and the Middle East, Iran has taken several turns as a superpower empire and been overrun in turn by any number of invaders. Iran Reportedly Sends 'Positive Signals' on Informal Nuclear Talks. The Seljuks sponsored great Persian artists, scientists, and poets, including Omar Khayyam. McFarlane was charged with four counts of withholding information from Congress, a misdemeanor. L’Iran entre dans l’histoire avec le royaume élamite, successeur de la période proto-élamite (dont l’écriture n’est toujours pas comprise), qui atteste d’une incroyable longévité, puisque c’est une puissance notable de la fin du III e millénaire, jusqu’au milieu du I er millénaire, quand son héritage est repris par l’Empire perse naissant. © 2021 A&E Television Networks, LLC. With an increased educational opportunity for women, Iran's birth rate has declined markedly in recent years after booming in the late 20th century. Senaya is spoken by Assyrians from the western Kurdish region of Iran. By 5000 BCE, Persia hosted sophisticated agriculture and early cities. The official language is Persian (Farsi), which is part of the Indo-European language family. Szczepanski, Kallie. Khomeini declared Iran a theocracy, with himself as the Supreme Leader. In interviews years later, Walsh, the special counsel tasked with investigating the Iran-Contra scandal, said that Reagan’s “instincts for the country’s good were right,” and implied that the president may have had difficulty remembering specifics of the scandal, due to failing health. Powerful dynasties have ruled Persia, beginning with the Achaemenid (559-330 BCE), which was founded by Cyrus the Great. In 1501, the Safavid dynasty brought Shi'a Islam to Persia. “Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations” has been retired and is no longer maintained. Along with the closely related Luri, Gilaki and Mazandarani, Farsi is the native tongue of 58% of Iranians. The Iran-Contra Affair was a secret U.S. arms deal that traded missiles and other arms to free some Americans held hostage by terrorists in Lebanon, but also used funds from the arms deal to support armed conflict in Nicaragua. Share. The land that is now Afghanistan has a long history of domination by foreign conquerors and strife among internally warring factions. Oil Stabilization Fund (Iran): A government-controlled sovereign wealth fund managed for the government of Iran. Iran's majority centrally-planned economy depends upon oil and gas exports for between 50 and 70% of its revenue. Fighting was ended by a 1988 cease-fire, though the resumption of normal diplomatic relations and the withdrawal of troops did not take place until 1990. Later, Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh launched an eight-year investigation into what by then had become known as the Iran-Contra Affair. Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the more formidable powers in the Middle East region—a land where lyrical Persian poetry vies with strict interpretations of Islam for the soul of a people. In 1921, the Iranian army officer Reza Khan seized control of the government. Lebanese newspaper Al-Shiraa first reported the arms deal between the United States and Iran in 1986, well into Reagan’s second term. In all, 14 people were charged, including North, Poindexter and McFarlane. (2021, February 16). History of Iran The earliest archaeological findings from Persia date to the Paleolithic era, 100,000 years ago. Three of the seven hostages in Lebanon were also released, although the Iran-backed terrorist group there later took three more Americans hostage. Share page. With the backing of McFarlane and CIA Director William Casey, Reagan pushed ahead with the trade, over the objections of Weinberger and Schultz. He ruled the country until his death in 1989; he was succeeded by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Reagan initially denied that he had negotiated with Iran or the terrorists, only to retract the statement a week later. Locator Map. Ancient Sources on Persian or Iranian History, Women's Roles After the Revolutions in China and Iran, The Spread of Islam in Asia From 632 to Present, J.D., University of Washington School of Law, B.A., History, Western Washington University. Started by Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein in September 1980, the war was marked by ...read more, The United States and Iran have never formally been at war, but tensions between the two countries have persisted for decades. Below is an overview of the long-running conflict between Iran and the United States—and measures taken (economic and otherwise) in the wake of flare ...read more, The Trent Affair was a diplomatic crisis that took place between the United States and Great Britain from November to December 1861, during the U.S. Civil War (1861-65). Brown University. The protracted war between these neighboring Middle Eastern countries resulted in at least half a million casualties and several billion dollars’ worth of damages, but no real gains by other side. Time. As of June 2009, $1 US = 9,928 rials. Alexander the Great conquered Persia in 300 BCE, founding the Hellenistic era (300-250 BCE). It was then that Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, of the National Security Council, came forward to acknowledge that he had diverted the missing funds to the Contras in Nicaragua, who used them to acquire weapons. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/iran-facts-and-history-195546. Reagan himself acknowledged that selling arms to Iran was a “mistake” during his testimony before Congress. She has taught at the high school and university levels in the U.S. and South Korea. The Iran-contra scandal 25 years later. But ironically, the reason Iran has the technology to build these weapons in the first place is because the U.S. gave it to Iran between 1957 and 1979. President Ronald Reagan, who won the White House in 1980, wasn’t able to maintain the political momentum for his Republican colleagues, and the GOP was swept from the majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives in the 1982 mid-term elections. The Iran Blizzard of February 1972 was the deadliest blizzard in history. Damavand, at 5,610 meters (18,400 feet). The crisis erupted after the captain of the USS San Jacinto ordered the arrest of two Confederate envoys ...read more, On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking more than 60 American hostages. The beginnings of Jewish history in Iran date back to late biblical times (mid-1st millenium BC). Reagan himself was never charged, and, in 1992, George H. W. Bush, Reagan’s vice president who was elected president in 1988, preemptively pardoned Weinberger. The 80s Crack ...read more, The NASA space shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986, just 73 seconds after liftoff, bringing a devastating end to the spacecraft’s 10th mission. Important ethnic groups include the Persians (51%), Azeris (24%), Mazandarani and Gilaki (8%), Kurds (7%), Iraqi Arabs (3%), and Lurs, Balochis, and Turkmens (2% each). "Iranian History and Facts." Then it was a swirl of happy times. His son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, took the throne in 1941. Related Topics. The amendment was specifically aimed at Nicaragua, where anti-communist Contras were battling the communist Sandinista government. Iran has a unicameral legislature called the Majlis, which has 290 members. Background. The Tower Commission (led by Texas Senator John Tower), which the president himself appointed, investigated the administration’s involvement and concluded that Reagan’s lack of oversight enabled those working under him to divert the funds to the Contras. L’affaire Iran-Contra ou Irangate est un scandale politico-militaire survenu aux États-Unis dans les années 1980 pendant le second mandat de l’administration Reagan.Plusieurs hauts responsables du gouvernement fédéral américain ont soutenu un trafic d'armes vers l'Iran malgré l'embargo touchant ce pays. Iran-Contra scandal tarnished credibility/But Americans forgave president after he admitted judgment errors. The Sickmanns met their son at West Point, N.Y., on Jan. 25. In 637, Muslims from the Arabian Peninsula invaded Iran, conquering the whole region over the next 35 years. Candidates must be approved by the Guardian Council. History.com. By that time, 1,500 American missiles had been sold to Iran, for $30 million. Today, because of the Iran deal, it would take Iran 12 months or more. Poindexter was initially indicted on seven felonies and ultimately tried on five. The Iranian Revolution of 1979 placed Shi'a clergy in positions of political power; the Supreme Leader of Iran is a Shi'a ayatollah, or Islamic scholar and judge. Stuxnet is a malicious computer worm first uncovered in 2010 and thought to have been in development since at least 2005. Azeri and other Turkic languages account for 26%; Kurdish, 9%; and languages like Balochi and Arabic make up about 1% each. And with the unprecedented monitoring and access this deal puts in place, if Iran tries, we will know and sanctions will snap back into place. Despite the fact that Reagan had promised voters he would never negotiate with terrorists—which he or his underlings did while brokering the weapons sales with Iran—the two-term occupant of the White House left office as a popular president. Published 6 January 2020. Tehran sues European firms for aiding Saddam's chemical attacks against Iranians - Judiciary. Spring and fall are mild, while winters bring heavy snowfall to the mountains. Szczepanski, Kallie. The earliest archaeological findings from Persia date to the Paleolithic era, 100,000 years ago. The biblical books of Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, contain references to the life and experiences of Jews in Persia. In 1219, Genghis Khan and the Mongols invaded Persia, wreaking havoc across the country and slaughtering entire cities. All Rights Reserved. Iran is home to approximately 72 million people of dozens of different ethnic backgrounds. Iran also hosts over 1 million Iraqi and Afghan refugees. Since 1501, the Shi'a Twelver sect has dominated in Iran. The new shah ruled until 1979 when he was overthrown in the Iranian Revolution by a coalition opposed to his brutal and autocratic rule. The per capita GDP is a robust $12,800 US, but 18% of Iranians live below the poverty line and 20% are unemployed. He too razed entire cities; after just 70 years, his successors were driven from Persia by the Turkmen. And, as an aside, the arms deal would secure funds that the CIA could secretly funnel to the Contra insurgency in Nicaragua. At the top is the Supreme Leader, selected by the Assembly of Experts, who is Commander-in-Chief of the military and oversees the civilian government. Discover surprising insights and little-known facts about politics, literature, science, and the marvels of the natural world. https://www.thoughtco.com/iran-facts-and-history-195546 (accessed March 8, 2021). View Larger. The Supreme Leader appoints the Head of Judiciary, who appoints judges and prosecutors. Introduction . Biden has boxed himself into a corner on Iran but the solution is simple…rejoin the nuclear deal with no preconditions. Much of what we know of prehistoric Sumer was found in archeological ruins, which told of a people who gradually switched from a hunting and gathering society to a settled, agriculture-based culture. He was sentenced to two years’ probation and $20,000 in fines. The currency of Iran is the rial. The Washington Post. The Iran-Contra Affair. Travel Facts. In 1381, a new conqueror appeared: Timur the Lame or Tamerlane. ThoughtCo. Iran-Iraq War; Italy; Korea; League of Nations; Middle East; Nazi Germany; Pilgrimages; Russia; South Africa ; Treaty of Versailles; United Nations; USA; Vietnam War; World War 1; World War 2; Evolution of Warfare; Women Through History; General History. Iran experiences four seasons each year. Approximately 89% of Iranians are Shi'a Muslim, while 9% more are Sunni. The Iran … to the twentieth century A.D. North said he had done so with the full knowledge of National Security Advisor Admiral John Poindexter. Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. In addition, four CIA officers and five government contractors were also prosecuted; although all were found guilty of charges ranging from conspiracy to perjury to fraud, only one—private contractor Thomas Clines—ultimately served time in prison.