No. 1 Iran (1980)
It was April, 1980. The United States was gripped in a volatile hostage crisis with the newly-anointed Islamic Republic of Iran. Radical students - driven by the anti-American fervor of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini - stormed the American embassy in Iran, seizing over 50 U.S. diplomats in the early days of November, 1979. President Jimmy Carter was running out of options. Economic sanctions were having little to no effect, and negotiations with the Iranians stopped and stalled. The hostage crisis had become a convenient tool for Khomeini; enabling him to purge and persecute those whose loyalty to the Islamic regime remained in question. Carter's staff was torn. Two camps developed; some preferred diplomacy, others favored military action. With diplomatic options seemingly exhausted by the spring of 1980, and a tough reelection bid ahead of him against Ronald Reagan, Carter gave the green light to Operation Eagle Claw. The mission was a long shot from the very beginning. The plan -- to fly eight Navy helicopters in the dark of night to the south of Tehran -- was immediately met by complications. High dust storms caused mechanical failure in 3 of the 8 transport choppers, prompting the Navy pilots to abandon their effort. One chopper collided with a C-130 transport, leaving 8 Americans dead. The event was a debacle for President Carter. Secretary Vance resigned in protest, and the hostage crisis would ultimately drag on for 444 days. Rubbing salt in his political wounds, the Iranian regime waited until Carter's final moments in office before freeing the 52 hostages. See also RealClearWorld's Most Daring Hostage Rescues.
