Some attributed the decision not to release the hostages quickly to President Carter’s failure to immediately deliver an ultimatum to homeland. Several hostages published accounts of their experiences, including 444 Days: The Hostages Remember (1985). Participants also later reflected on their role, some defending and others regretting the embassy seizure. Yellow ribbons became a national symbol of solidarity, tied around trees and lamp posts across America.
Diplomatic ties were severed in 1980 and have never been fully restored. U.S. economic sanctions against, initiated during the crisis, expanded over the decades and remain central to policy. With Iran isolated, the U.S. grew closer to Iraq and Saudi Arabia during the 1980s — relationships that later created new challenges. The crisis demonstrated that revolutionary Islamist movements could challenge superpowers, inspiring similar groups elsewhere.
