"It is crystal clear that the good people of Iran — and surely there are some — must take control of their government ASAP. And put an end to what is effectively a death cult that rules Iran now and has done so since the Iranian revolution in 1979."
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| Rich Terrell |
Trump Stands Tall on Iran "The place: The American Embassy in Tehran, Iran.
"On that day, in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution that had overthrown the Shah, followers from the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line descended on the U.S. Embassy. Supported by the leader of the Revolution, one Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the students took 66 hostages from the Embassy staff, both diplomatic personnel and civilians. (RELATED: Reagan’s Shadow, Trump’s Moment)
"The flashpoint was the Jimmy Carter administration granting asylum to the cancer-ridden Shah of Iran for treatment in New York. The student revolutionaries held the American hostages for 444 days. At one point, Carter authorized a U.S. military rescue attempt. The mission failed dramatically.
"This was a presidential election year in the United States, and the hostage crisis became a daily issue in the campaign between President Carter and the GOP nominee, former California Governor Ronald Reagan. Without doubt, the ongoing crisis contributed to the hard-liner Reagan’s landslide 44-state victory over Carter.
"As if to humiliate Carter, negotiations for the release of the hostages finally succeeded on Jan. 19, 1981, the day before Carter was to leave office. Dramatically, with Reagan literally sworn in and giving his inaugural address on Jan. 20, the hostages were released to American authorities, then flown out of Iran first to Algeria and then to a U.S. airbase in Germany where now former President Carter had been sent by the new President Reagan to greet them and escort them first to Ireland (for refueling) and then on to the U.S. and the National Guard base in Newburgh, New York. Days later, after health check-ups and rest, the hostages were given a huge ticker tape parade in New York City." .. . . . .
Now the Iranians have fired missiles at practically every other country in the region. So it isn’t just the Israelis and the Saudis who have had it with them.
No, There’s No ‘Forever War’ in Iran
Trump’s stance on Iran long predates his presidency (and by extension, any relationship he had with Israel) and stretches as far back as the 1980s, following the Iranian hostage crisis. Since becoming president, he has continued to oppose Iran’s nuclear ambitions, reimposed sanctions after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, and maintained pressure on the Iranians to agree to a denuclearization deal. Throughout the early to mid-2010s, well before he even announced his candidacy, Trump’s Twitter feed was filled with posts articulating his consistent stance: that Iran must end its targeting of U.S. citizens, stop funding terrorism, and never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. All of these tweets (now on X) still exist today.
