How was the Iran hostage situation resolved by President Reagan?

Question

Actually, stick man has it correct. Reagan made it clear that he would take them by force. The hostages were in the air, circling near Turkey. They were let go right after Reagan's inauguration because Reagan was going to use force.

Answer 1

Iran knew that Reagan wouldn't mess around like Carter had. They feared he would use a nuclear bomb on Iran. Iran released the Hostages the Morment Reagan was sworn in as president.

Answer 2

Hard to say it better than Stickman did. In short they knew Reagen wouldn't mess around.

To add a few details. Terrorism was a problem elsewhere. It didn't touch Americans. There was a reason for that. During our history even for a single wayward American the US would sometimes use military force to extract that American. We were very protective of our citizens. The whole world was shocked when the US didn't invade Iran when it was clear they would not turn over the hostages. This was a clear act of war. Carter's reaction just encouraged the Iranians. It made a mockery of America's reputation and caused many people to die. It also opened the door for terrorists to target America. We were widely called a paper tiger over our reaction to the Iranian hostage crisis.

Our keystone cop rescue mission was a joke. A fatal joke. A fatal political joke. Cater's idea of a small specialized cross service military was an abysmal failure because of the obvious interservice problems. He should have just given the job to the Marines who have hundreds of years of dealing with such problems. If not the Navy Seals, Army special forces, CIA and probably even the FBI could have done the job. When it failed why was there not a backup plan? There should have been choppers on the deck fueled and a crew ready to go in case the main force ran into trouble or failed to reach the objective.

Last to answer another answerer. The Iranian crisis could have never happened and Carter had ZERO chance against Reagan. The economy was a complete disaster. It'd been falling apart badly under Nixon. Under Ford it made a small recovery but as soon as Carter too the helm it died. Then the oil embargo, largely encouraged by the worldwide knowledge Carter was a very weak man, put the last rites on the US economy. I was alive through that time. It was a mess. Carter had no respect by the end of his term from anybody. He was the biggest joke ever perpetrated on the American people. He was a creation of the Democrats who picked the most honest looking country Bumpkin in the party they could find as a tonic for Nixon. Gomer Pyle could have gotten elected against Ford because he was associated with Nixon. Ford's frequent gaffes only buried him deeper. The Iranian crisis would have buried Carter even if the economy was going strong. Carter proved to be spineless and about as wimpy as a man can possibly be. He revolted America with his lack of guts. He's spent the last 20 years trying to beat that image but Carter will go down as the weakest president we've ever had.

Answer 3

Reagan had a weekly conservative radio talk show (now being released on casette tapes) in which he pretty well outlined his philosophy in situations like that. The Iranians wanted to defeat an American President, and they did, Carter's mistake was in trying to micro-manage the military rescue operation that was better left to the commanders in the field, his last second panic had the same effect as JFK's backing out on military support of the Bay Of Pigs invasion, it doomed it not only to failure but needless death and embarassing disaster. (Yeah I know Clinton had the history revised to blame the CIA, but JFK suddenly had the brainstorm someone might think the USA was involved and didn't want history to record him as a foreign agressor). Because a bus load of Iranians came along and had to be held prisoner at the forward operation point, Carter told them to back out ASAP and two airships collided. How history in Iran might be different now if they had taken the embassy back, liberated the prisoners and generally bombed the hell out of the Ayatollahs followers, and one thug in particular, who now runs the country, been killed, is anyone's guess. But as in the failure to stop North Korea when they began their nuclear program about the same time, or handing Panama the canal we built, so they could lease it to China, it's a legacy Carter will never erase no matter how many chairs or houses he builds for the needy. That somehow the whole release thing was arranged by Jim Baker and the evil republicans as an "October Surpise" was the brainstorm of the human wingnut, democrat propagandist Jim Carville. But this is why when the Grenada issue came up, Reagan wasn't going to screw around even if they were saving a bunch of college students too drunk in "paradise" most of the time to realize they were hostages.

Answer 4

Reagan and the Iran hostages? there became into an unholy deal made by the Republicans with the Iranian government. The Ayatollah could save the embassy team hostages until after the election so Reagan could win. that my buddy is treason. Carter became into incompetent, yet what Reagan did became into criminal.

Answer 5

Who said it was?

Reagan was president when the hostages were freed, that is well known and kodos for it happening

However to give all the credit to Reagan is not such a good idea, Carter was president before and most of work of getting the hostages free had a lot to do with his office doing the work..

It's debatable that it was Reagan taking office that ultimetly was the magic bullet.

Either way it is important to remember it was the work of both presidents that freed them

Btw I met one of the hostages at a dinner party about 10 years ago, I can't remember his name (I could look it up, but it's getting late and I don't want to), however I remember him as being one of the most fascinating people I have ever met.

Answer 6

Yes, Reagan didn't resolve the situation. The iranian people wanted to show the USA that they did not like the former pres at the time. So they held the USA members hostage until after the voting was done. This in fact caused lots of amcerians to vote for Reagan and plus causing a change in politics in the USA.

Answer 7

The Algiers Accords outlined a series of agreements made between the U.S. and Iran for the release of the hostages, which, by the way, were released only 20 minutes into Regan's Presidency, so it could be argued that he didn't really do anything other than represent a political party in the U.S. that the Iranians feared would attack them instead of negotiate with them, which was a problem because at the time they were being invaded by Iraqi forces under the soon to be late Sadaam Hussein.

Answer 8

I think you have answered your own question. After 4 years a real man and a real president finally took control of this country.

Answer 9

Reagan appeased the Iranians much like Neville Chamberlain did with Hitler.

Answer 10

By beating round the Bush.