The United States refused to negotiate, and 52 American hostages were held for 444 days. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi died in Egypt in July 1980. The United States refused to negotiate, and 52 American hostages were held for 444 days. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi died in Egypt in July 1980. The shah’s life was publicly threatened April 26 when Yasser Arafat ordered his Palestinian Liberation Organization to capture the deposed ruler and deliver him to homeland’s revolutionary government.
Empress Farah, veiled in black, stood beside her children: Crown Prince Reza, Princess Farahnaz, Prince Ali-Reza, and Princess Leila. Their faces reflected both sorrow and pride. The world’s cameras captured the moment—images that would become iconic symbols of the fall of a dynasty.
