In 1979, following the Iranian Revolution, a group of students from universities across Tehran staged a short demonstration and proceeded to storm the US Embassy. They held it for 444 days. Much has been made of the plight of the American diplomats who where taken hostage at this time, but less has been said about the circumstances surrounding this event and the socio-political tensions that led to it.

We must ask ourselves what tensions lay bubbling beneath the surface of this world in which the hostages where taken? What motivated these revolutionary youth to take such drastic action? Actions that would overshadow the relationship between the US and Iran, sending shock-waves through the chambers and vaults of global diplomacy that still echo to this day. The purpose of this book is to shed light on some aspects of the event that fall short of the sight of the western historical and political analysts and commentators.