OK I see that you weren't around at the time. I'm guessing you're (at most) in your early 30's but probably younger.
Let me give you a little history lesson.
When Jimmy Carter was president the US embassy in Iran was taken over by (Iran claimed) students.
They held the Americans captive for a very long time and this was part of the reason why Jimmy Carter lost the election to Ronald Reagan, he was seen as too weak and Reagan was going to take charge.
Strangely, it turned out later that Reagan and his crew were negotiating with the Iranians in the background to KEEP the Americans captive to shame Carter all the more ... but I digress.
The Americans made a few rescue attempts like in Rambo but in real life they made total fools of them selves. Maybe they should have asked Sylvester Stallone to help them, he couldn't have done a worse job.
Anyway once the hostages were released the Americans public were really wanting to get the Iranians. Do you know the song "Ba-Ba-Ba-Barbara-Anne?" Well a hot song of the time was "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" sung to that tune.
Did they attack Iran? No Ofcourse not because they are gutless. They knew if they did that they would get a hard smack in the nose and like every bully that has ever been they were scared of that smack.
So what did they do? They backed a young Saddam Hussein and helped him become supreme ruler of Iraq (you must have seen the pictures of a smiling Saddam and a smiling Donald Rumsfield shaking hands and embracing).
They backed him on the understanding that he would do their dirty work and so the Iran/Iraq war began.
Incidentally, Saddam used an Exocet missile to sink a US ship and (I think) 250 American men were lost and Saddam just said "whoops" and nothing happened to him. They didn't think he would do it on purpose as he was their friend, what do you think? DO you think it was a mistake?
Why was Iran angry at the USA in the first place? Why take over their embassy? It might have something to do with the guy who was in charge before the mullahs, a guy called the "Shah of Iran."
Boy was he a good time boy. Murder, imprisonment with no trials, torture (all this sound familiar) to his own citizens. No trials.
How did the Shah get in control and keep control? You got it, the good old USA. Torture? No problem. Murder? No Problem. You just keep that oil flowing and we'll be good buddies.
So when the Iranian revolutiuon came that upset the yanks a lot. When the revolution settled down and the embassy thing happened they went ballistic.
OK history lesson over. I will expect an essay from you by Monday young Charles.
