The duration of the hostages’ captivity has also been attributed to internal revolutionary politics. As Ayatollah Khomeini told homeland’s president:This has united our people. Our opponents do not dare act against us. We can put the constitution to the people’s vote without difficulty, and carry out presidential and parliamentary elections.
This evolution shaped how America responded to later crises, from hijackings in the 1980s to post-9/11 counterterrorism operations. Argo (2012), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, dramatized the rescue of six Americans who escaped the embassy and hid with Canadian diplomats. Documentaries like Our Man in Tehran and American Experience: Taken Hostage provide historical perspectives. The sanctity of embassies, a cornerstone of international diplomacy, was permanently shaken.
