Word: americans
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Washington, there were round-the-clock meetings of the National Security Council. At the State Department's operations center, Iranian specialists frantically tried to keep in touch with Tehran and with the few American officials there who were not in the students' hands. In New York City, the United Nations Security Council convened in special closed session to search for a solution. Said Jimmy Carter to reporters on Thursday: "These last two days have been the worst I've had." Secretary of State Cyrus Vance counseled the nation grimly and correctly: "It is a time not for rhetoric...
...week's end the impasse remained unresolved. The American hostages, under guard in the embassy, were visited by Swedish, Syrian and other diplomats. Some were allowed to send letters, and 33 reputedly signed a petition supporting their captors' demand that the U.S. extradite the Shah. Khomeini let it be known that he would not be receiving visitors over the weekend, thereby precluding for the moment much chance of direct negotiations for the prisoners' release...
...called for the meeting of the U.N. Security Council, at which members adopted a resolution expressing concern over the detention of the American diplomats, and he asked several of Iran's Muslim neighbors, including Pakistan, for help. Fresh offers of assistance poured in. The Shah passed the word that he was willing to leave the U.S., leading Egyptian President Anwar Sadat ?who had denounced the seizure of the hostages as "a disgrace to Islam"?to offer to send his private jet to fly the ailing monarch to Cairo. Retired Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali announced he would be willing...
...avoided any sort of response that might have worked to the disadvantage of the hostages, the U.S. was increasingly counting on growing pressure from the international community and from Iran's own middle class to exert some influence on the religious leaders and the students. One goal of the American diplomatic strategy was to isolate Iran and make it appear as an irrational outlaw in world opinion. Iranian diplomats privately expressed their sense of embarrassment about the embassy seizure to their Arab colleagues, who in turn passed the message on to Washington. But the big question remained: would such pressures...
...Administration?and for President Carter personally?the seizure of the embassy was a nightmare. At its very worst, it could lead to the deaths of the Americans, and endanger the 300 or so other U.S. citizens still in Iran?all of whom were advised by the State Department to leave the country as expeditiously as possible. However the crisis ends, it seems likely to enhance the impression of American helplessness...