What major historical event involved students kidnapping American citizens in Iran?

The Iran Hostage Crisis is the correct response as it directly references the 1979 event in which Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage. This crisis lasted for 444 days, significantly affecting U.S.-Iran relations and leading to a reevaluation of American foreign policy in the Middle East.

The situation arose during a period of great upheaval known as the Iranian Revolution, where the monarchy of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown and replaced by the Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Khomeini. While the Iranian Revolution set the stage for the crisis, it is the hostage-taking itself that defines the Iran Hostage Crisis.

The Persian Gulf War, which occurred in the early 1990s, involved Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and subsequent military response led by a U.S.-led coalition, and is unrelated to the students’ actions towards American citizens. The U.S.-Iran Trade Embargo refers to the economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. against Iran, which are products of the strained relations post-crisis, but again do not involve the event of kidnapping or hostage-taking.

Understanding the excesses and the context of the Iran Hostage Crisis illuminates both