Jimmy Carter, Nobel Laureate Whose Presidency Was Marred By Iran Hostage Crisis, Dies Aged 100
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. (File photo)
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, whose presidencywas marred by the 444-day Iran hostage crisis, has died at age 100 after receiving hospice care for almost two years.
"Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States and winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, died peacefully Sunday, December 29, at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by his family," the Carter Center in his home state of Georgia said in a statement.
U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement that "America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian."
Biden declared January 9, the day Carter's funeral will be held in Washington, D.C., as a national day of mourning.
Though his presidency was marked by his failure to rein in rampant inflation, revive the economy, and his inability to free dozens of Americans held captive at an embassy in the Iranian capital, Tehran, his life after office was celebrated for his humanitarian work around the world.
"God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace. We can make these changes -- and we must," Carter said in his speech upon accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. He was the first former U.S. president to win the award.
Former President Barack Obama praised Carter's "decency," saying in a tribute the onetime peanut farmer who was raised in poverty "taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service."
President-elect Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that "the challenges Jimmy faced as president came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans."
The iconic Empire State Building in New York City was lit up in red, white, and blue to honor Carter.
Carter, a one-term leader, is remembered for having brokered a peace deal between Israel and Egypt and later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work and efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts.
But it was the Iranian hostage crisis that would come to define Carter's presidency from 1977 to 1981.
The Islamic Revolution in 1979 toppled the U.S.-backed shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and brought to power a group of clerics led by exiled Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Carter granted the ailing shah political asylum, to the anger of many Iranians.
In late 1979, a group of hard-line Iranian students who were believed to have had the tacit support of Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 52 Americans hostage. They demanded the return of the shah and an apology for past actions by the United States in Iran.
444 Days: Looking Back At The U.S.-Iran Hostage Crisis
1/19Several hundred young Iranians, supported by a crowd of more than 3,000, climb the walls of the U.S. Embassy at 10:30 a.m. on November 4, 1979. They blindfolded and handcuffed dozens of U.S. citizens they found inside. Protesters had seized the Tehran compound months before, capturing a U.S. Marine on February 14, but order was restored after several hours.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
2/19Iran's monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, leaves his country for the last time on January 16, 1979, going first to Egypt. He and his wife, Empress Farah, were greeted by President Anwar Sadat (second from right). Iranian students were angry that U.S. President Jimmy Carter later allowed the shah to travel to New York for cancer treatment. The shah had fled Tehran amid a surge of demonstrations against his rule. His troops had answered some of them with deadly gunfire.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
3/19Demonstrators burn an American flag on November 9, 1979, atop the wall of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Weeks after the shah's departure, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from his 14-year exile in Paris to jubilant crowds. In March 1979, a referendum showed an overwhelming margin in favor of replacing the monarchy with an Islamic government.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
4/19Anger and frustration about the hostages held in Tehran grew in the United States throughout the crisis. An anti-Iranian demonstration was held in Washington, D.C., on November 9, 1979.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
5/19The Iranian captors took pains to show the American hostages looking comfortable. This image of an embassy staffer and a U.S. Marine was presented at a Tehran news conference on November 9, 1979. But the outside world had almost no access to the captives and, in reality, they struggled to cope. They endured beatings, a mock execution, and two would attempt suicide.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
6/19An Iranian student security guard patrols the embassy on November 10, 1979, as thousands of demonstrators gathered, chanting anti-American slogans. Leaders of the hostage-takers later said they never expected to hold the embassy for more than a few hours. They said they changed their plan after Ayatollah Khomeini endorsed their actions.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
7/19Three hostages released from the U.S. Embassy on November 19, 1979, are driven from a press conference to the airport. From left: Kathy Gross, 22, of Cambridge Spring, Pennsylvania; Marine Sergeant Ladell Maples, 23, of Earle, Arkansas; and Marine Sergeant William Quarles, 23, of Washington, D.C.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
8/19Thirteen Americans were freed on November 21, 1979, and taken to the U.S. Air Force base in Wiesbaden, West Germany, where they appeared before journalists. Lloyd Rollins, at the podium, read a statement from their former captors. Front row from the left: Terry Robinson, Joseph Vincent, James Hughes, Joan Walsh, Kathy Gross, and Anne Johnson. Back row from left: Terry Tedford, Liz Montagne, Wesely Williams, William Quarles, Ladell Maples, and David Walker.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
9/19Efforts by the International Red Cross to check on the hostages were thwarted. The organization’s delegate, Andre Tschiffeli (center), was only allowed a two-hour meeting with the student captors on November 24, 1979. He was given no access to the hostages. United Nations representatives were also kept away.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
10/19Iranian orphan girls in chadors demonstrate outside the embassy on November 27, 1979, demanding the return of the shah for prosecution.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
11/19To hold back the growing crowds of anti-American demonstrators, a steel fence was erected around the embassy gates as Iranians marched to mark the holy day of Tasua on November 29, 1979.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
12/19Some U.S. citizens were sympathetic to the Iranian students’ demands: Two Americans, Carol Downer (left) of Los Angeles and Rebecca Chalker (right) of Tallahassee, Florida, hold up a sign in front of the U.S. Embassy calling for the death of the shah on December 15, 1979. The sign was attributed to Chicago postal workers.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
13/19Iranians braved heavy rain to demonstrate their solidarity with hostage-holding students on December 15, 1979, after the news broke that the shah gone to Panama.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
14/19The American hostages are shown on Christmas Eve 1979. Hundreds of cards sent from well-wishers in the United States were delivered to Iranian guards, who promised to hand them over to the hostages after inspection, but never did.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
15/19After their second Christmas in captivity, the hostages were allowed to send messages to their families. Their statements were shown on U.S. television on December 27, 1980. Clockwise from upper left: Barry Rosen of Brooklyn, New York; Bert Moore of Mount Vernon, Ohio; William B. Royer Jr. of Houston, Texas; and John Graves of Reston, Virginia.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
16/19U.S. President Jimmy Carter is shown preparing for a televised address from the Oval Office on April 25, 1980. He reported that his decision to send a hostage-rescue mission into Iran had ended in disaster. Operation Eagle Claw had to be aborted. Eight U.S. servicemen died.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
17/19The wreckage of a burned-out American C-130 Hercules cargo plane is inspected by Iranian troops in the Dasht-e Kavir desert, some 500 kilometers from Tehran, on April 26, 1980. An RH-53 helicopter collided with the plane during the attempt to free the American hostages. Mechanical problems and a sandstorm hampered the mission, and a U.S. commander advised Carter to abort. The accident happened after the abort order was given. The helicopter's rotor churned up sand, blocking visibility. Carter put much of the blame for his loss in the 1980 presidential election on his failure to free the hostages.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
18/19Finally freed after a tortuous negotiation process mediated by Algeria, the 52 remaining hostages arrive in Wiesbaden, West Germany, on January 20, 1981. The captives were released just minutes after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as U.S. president. Fourteen hostages had been released over the previous year, including one for medical reasons.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
19/19Former hostage Alan Golacinski of Silver Spring, Maryland, waves during a ticker-tape parade in Manhattan that honored the returning Americans on January 30, 1981. The agreement that resulted in the release of the hostages called for the unfreezing of $7.9 billion of Iranian assets abroad. The hostages were blocked from suing Iran, but in 2015, they were granted $4.4 million each by the U.S. government. The money was taken from an $8.9 billion fine against French bank BNP Paribas for its role in the violation of economic sanctions against Iran.
Forty years ago, on November 4, 1979, student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took dozens of American hostages. The attack sparked a diplomatic crisis that reverberates through the region to this day.
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Carter said the United States could not give in to the hostage-takers, and the crisis dragged on for over a year.
"It's vital to the United States and to every other nation that the lives of diplomatic personnel and other citizens abroad be protected, and that we refuse to permit the use of terrorism, and the seizure and the holding of hostages, to impose political demands,” he said.
“No one should underestimate the resolve of the American government and the American people in this matter."
With negotiations with the Iranians proving fruitless, Carter ordered U.S. Special Forces to try to rescue the American hostages in April 1980. The mission ended in disaster, and eight U.S. soldiers died in an accident caused by equipment failure.
Carter announced the failed rescue mission to the nation: "I share the disappointment of the American people that this rescue mission was not successful. And I also share the grief of our nation because we had Americans who were casualties in this effort to seek freedom for their fellow citizens who have been held hostage for so long.
"But I also share a deep pride in the commitment and courage and the integrity and the competence and determination of those who went on this mission."
The Iranian hostage crisis -- and Carter's inability to resolve it -- dominated the news in the United States throughout 1980, a presidential election year.
He was easily defeated in his reelection bid by Ronald Reagan, a former Hollywood actor who had energized the Republican party with his smooth appearance and supply-side economic policies.
In a final insult to Carter, Iran decided to release the hostages on January 20, 1981, the day Carter left office and Reagan was inaugurated as president.
One of Carter's first goals after becoming president was to work on a second Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, known as SALT II, with the Soviet Union. The treaty was designed to further limit the number of nuclear weapons held by both countries.
Negotiating the treaty with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev was difficult because of Carter's persistent criticism of Moscow's human rights record. But in June 1979 the two leaders signed SALT II. The U.S. Senate did not ratify the treaty following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, but its terms were honored by both sides.
In response to the Soviet invasion, the president announced what came to be known as the Carter Doctrine -- that the United States would defend its interests in the Persian Gulf with military force if necessary. The United States also boycotted the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.
"I have given notice that the United States will not attend the Moscow Olympics unless the Soviet invasion forces are withdrawn from Afghanistan before February 20,” said Carter at the time. “That deadline is tomorrow, and it will not be changed."
Though his term in office is often characterized as a failure, Carter's presidency had its share of triumphs.
He established an effective national energy policy and encouraged the creation of 8 million new jobs, although at the cost of high inflation. He also improved the operation of the U.S. federal government through reform of the civil service.
Carter's greatest achievement as U.S. president was the 1978 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, brokered at the Camp David presidential retreat. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts.
Carter's wife, Rosalynn, died in November 2023, at age 96.
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