Although likely unaware of the initial embassy takeover plan, Ayatollah Khomeini astutely leveraged the ensuing hostage crisis. It became an invaluable political tool to unify the public against a common enemy and sideline moderate rivals, thereby cementing his revolutionary control.
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The students who seized the US Embassy did not plan a 444-day ordeal. Their original plan was a brief, symbolic occupation to protest US policy, inspired by Western student sit-ins. They brought only enough food for three days, showing their lack of foresight for the crisis's escalation.
Kicked out of Iraq, Khomeini landed in Paris. This unexpected move gave him unprecedented access to the world's press, turning him into an international figure and allowing him to broadcast his revolutionary message globally, which was crucial for his success.
While appearing as a traditionalist, Khomeini's core concept, the "Guardianship of the Jurist," was a profound theological revolution. It proposed for the first time that clerics should directly rule the state, breaking with centuries of Shiite political quietism. This innovation provided the ideological basis for the new republic.
The Islamic Revolution in Iran provided a powerful and enduring model for political Islam. Its legacy, including the hostage crisis, shaped the American perception of the Middle East and global politics more profoundly than Communism did in the 21st century.
Iran's leader was surprised by the student takeover and first ordered them out. He quickly changed his mind upon realizing the event's immense popularity and its utility in consolidating hardline control, demonstrating his political opportunism over ideological consistency.
In a final act of humiliation, Iranian authorities delayed the hostages' release until the very moment Ronald Reagan finished his inaugural address. This ensured Jimmy Carter, who had obsessed over their freedom, was a private citizen, denying him his final presidential goal.
The White House assumed the hostage crisis was a negotiation over specific demands, such as returning the Shah. In reality, Khomeini used the prolonged crisis to eliminate moderate rivals and consolidate the Islamic Republic, making the stated demands largely irrelevant.
The iconic term used by Iranian leaders to describe the United States was coined by Ayatollah Khomeini the day after the embassy seizure. It is not a traditional Quranic term but a modern political slogan crafted to cast the conflict in Manichaean terms of good versus evil.
Ayatollah Khomeini's political genius was blending traditional religious conservatism with the era's fashionable anti-colonial nationalism. By framing the Shah as an American and Israeli puppet, he mobilized a broad coalition beyond just the deeply religious.
Despite widespread internal protests and instability, history shows that an external attack is one of the few things that can unify the Iranian population. A potential Israeli strike, meant to weaken the regime, could backfire by creating a 'rally 'round the flag' effect that shores up support for the Ayatollah.
