Fourteen days later, the Khomeini returned after 15 years of exile and took control of homeland.The shah traveled to several countries before entering the United States in October 1979 for medical treatment of his cancer. In capital, Islamic militants responded on November 4 by storming the U.S. embassy and taking the staff hostage. With the approval of Khomeini, the militants demanded the return of the shah to homeland to stand trial for his crimes.
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. Over the next year, the royal family became wanderers—moving from Egypt to Morocco, then to the Bahamas, Mexico, and Panama. Despite his illness, the Shah sought refuge and medical treatment abroad, but most nations hesitated to host him, fearing a diplomatic fallout with the new Islamic Republic in Tehran.
