INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
desert dubbed Operation Eagle Claw, aimed at airlifting the U.S
embassy personnel who were held in Tehran
Embassy staff had been held by Iranian revolutionary students after taking over the Embassy since November 4, 1979, who demanded Washington
that, Washington had broken diplomatic relations with Tehran on April 7, 1980, after holding five months of failed negotiations on the
launched the operation following then-U.S
President Jimmy Carter's order
Starting on April 19th, forces were deployed throughout Oman and the Arabian Sea
to meet on the Tabas Desert located in Khorasan province (code-named Desert One), which is located some 200 miles southeast of Tehran
There, the helicopters were supposed to refuel from the C-130s and pick up the commandos
The helicopters would then transport troops to the mountain location from which the actual airlifting mission would be launched the
However, the mission turned out to be a humiliating defeat as a sandstorm hit and brought down the group of U.S
and five other choppers were stranded in the sand
combat troops had no choice but to abort the mission
commandos were killed at the scene.According to the American account of the incident, the aircraft encountered a haboob, a violent
wind-driven sandstorm common in the desert
This caused extreme visibility issues, damage to the aircraft, and sickness among the crews
Khomeini, who had already thrown his weight behind the revolutionary students for taking over the U.S
presidential race, which was going to be held later that year in the country.Imam Khomeini also said that sand particles and strong winds
had been assigned by God, the Almighty, to destroy all U.S
Carter's national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, later confirmed that his boss had authorized the failed operation, blaming the
reminds the United States of its humiliating defeat in its aggression on its territorial integrity, advising Washington to learn lessons
Tehran also calls for an end to more than four decades of hostility toward the resistant Iranian nation.It is noteworthy, Iran has grown
much stronger now compared to the early years after the 1979 Islamic Revolution
military, Observers argue that the Eagle Claw Operation serves as a warning for President Donald Trump not to initiate a war.
This article first appeared/also appeared in Tehran Times
