Iran students seize US Embassy in Tehran

On v. 4, 1979, Iranian students overran guards to take over U.S. Embassy in Tehran, starting a 444-day host crisis that transfixed America.

After a three-hour struggle, students took hosts, including 62 Americans, and demanded extrition of deposed Shah Mohamm Reza Pahlavi, who was receiving medical treatment in United States for cancer that ultimately would kill him. Some hosts would later be released amid crisis, but it would take over a year for all to be freed.

On day of takeover, Associated Press actually h presence in Iran. Two months earlier, Iranian authorities h shut down AP’s bureau in Tehran, throwing out four foreign correspondents for cooperative over its reporting of a Kurdish uprising in western Iran. Two Iranian staffers for AP were ordered to stop working for ncy.

AP story shows how ncy apted, relying on bureaus around world to monitor brocasts and make calls, including its Middle East hequarters, which at time was in Nicosia, Cyprus.

Iranian authorities ultimately relented and allowed AP to resume its news operations. But by January 1980, Iran threw out AP and all American journalists. AP ultimately would return to Iran and re-establish a presence in 1995 and later a bureau that it still operates re today.

w, 40 years later, AP is making its story and photos of U.S. Embassy takeover available. story has been edited for typographical errors, but maintains AP style of day.

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A mob of Iranian students overran U.S. Marine guards in a three-hour struggle Sunday and inved American Embassy in Tehran, seizing dozens of staff members as hosts, Tehran Rio reported. y demanded that United States send exiled shah back to Iran for trial, rio said.

serious injuries were reported. Tehran Rio said as many as 100 hosts were being held, but an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said he believed it was fewer than 45 — about 35 Americans and seven or eight Iranians.

spokesman, reached in Tehran by telephone from New York, said an estimated 200 or 300 students were involved.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Jack Touhy said it was estimated 59 persons were being held captive and re was firm evidence invers were armed. He said a State Department working group was set up to monitor situation and ded U.S. government would have immediate comment on demand that shah be returned to Iran.

White House spokesman Alan Raymond reported in Washington that President Carter, spending weekend at Camp David retreat, was in contact with his national security viser Zbigniew Brzezinski, Secretary of State Cyrus R. Vance and Defense Secretary Harold Brown.

Tehran Rio brocasts, monitored in London, said embassy’s Marine guards hurled tear-gas canisters but were unable to hold back waves of students. ne of brocasts mentioned any weapons besides tear gas.

Japan’s Kyodo news service reported from Tehran that invers called a news conference in embassy compound and a sweater-cl man in his mid-20s told reporters, “We will continue to stay here and won’t release any of hosts until United States returns ousted shah, which is what Iranian people want.”

re were reports that hosts were blindfolded and handcuffed. Foreign Ministry spokesman denied this, saying embassy takeover was “a very peaceful exercise. y are dealing with m very nicely.”

But television film brocast in some Western countries showed a few hosts in front of an embassy building who were blindfolded and eir bound or handcuffed.

Asked if students were armed, Foreign Ministry spokesman said he h heard reports that y were.

He said a Scandinavian ambassor in Tehran would act as a mediator “to try to convince students to get out of compound.” He reported an Iranian Moslem religious leer also was trying to talk invers into leaving.

spokesman, who asked t to be named, said he was unsure of identities of two mediators.

State Department said in Washington Iranian government h “given assurances that our people being held are safe and well.”

Tehran Rio said Marines and or “mercenaries” — t furr identified — were safe in a room and “ violent action has been taken against m.”

An official at British Embassy, reached by phone from London, said it appeared “as though hosts are having to spend night in basement. re is kwing how long y are going to be held.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman said that after takeover thousands of or Iranians converged on spacious embassy compound, on a major avenue in central Tehran, and milled around outside, shouting anti-American slogans.

Just hours after embassy invasion, seven demonstrators chained mselves inside Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor to protest ousted Shah Mohamm Reza Pahlavi’s presence in New York, where he is hospitalized for cancer treatment. After 3 1/2 hours authorities cut chains and took m into custody.

Pahlavi went to New York last month on a special medical visa and underwent gallblder surgery and testing. Doctors recommended he stay in United States for six months to a year for drug treatment of his cancer. He fled Iran in January and later took up residence in Mexico.

Tehran brocasts, some t clearly received, said students were motivated by a “mess” from leer of Iran’s Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Iranian Embassy in Washington released a statement issued by Foreign Ministry in Tehran after takeover accusing United States of engaging in an “imperialist plot” to reinstate former monarch. Iranian officials have claimed deposed ruler is faking illness.

“ action taken today by a group of our countrymen reflects natural feeling of Iranian nation towards U.S. government’s disregard” of an official Iranian protest of Pahlavi’s presence in New York, statement said.

It said U.S. government igred protest and refused to allow two Iranian doctors living in United States to examine shah, who could have been treated in Mexico or ar country.

“ people of Iran were extremely concerned about any relocation and activities of shah and ... would consider shah’s illness a pretext for his going to United States in order to have access to better activities against Islamic revolution in Iran,” statement said.

State Department spokesman Touhy said U.S. charge d’affaires in Tehran, Bruce Laingen, and two or American officials were at Foreign Ministry at time embassy was seized, and h contacted Iranian Foreign Minister Ibrahim Yazdi. U.S. ambassor currently is assigned to Tehran.

Touhy said Laingen remained at ministry, negotiating with officials re, and negotiations were t being conducted with embassy invers. He said families of U.S. personnel held in embassy were being vised that hosts h t been harmed. He did t release any names of Americans.

State Department h issued a statement earlier, saying Laingen “h been given assurances by Iranian government that it will do its best to resolve matter satisfactorily. We appreciate efforts of Iranian government.”

This was second time embassy has been taken over since revolution. Gunmen believed to be renege revolutionaries inved embassy last Feb. 14, killing one Iranian and taking 101 hosts, including Ambassor William Sullivan and 19 Marine guards. Pro-Khomeini forces drove insurgents from bly damd compound after 3 1/2 hours.

A Baghd Rio brocast reported that Iraq h lodged a strong protest with Iran over what was described as an attack on Iraqi Embassy in Tehran Saturday and abduction of four persons. Khomeini regime accuses Iraq of aiding automy-seeking mirities in Iran.