the hostage crisis
/ðə ˈhɒstɪdʒ kraɪsɪs/
/ðə ˈhɑːstɪdʒ kraɪsɪs/
- a dangerous international event in 1979-81, when Iranian students took 66 Americans from the US Embassy in Tehran and kept them as prisoners for more than 14 months. They demanded that the former Shah of Iran should be sent back to Iran from the US for trial. The US President, Jimmy Carter, ordered a rescue attempt in April 1980, but it failed. The crisis was an important reason for Carter's losing the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan. The prisoners were released on 20 January 1981, the day on which Reagan became President.
人质危机：1979-81年的一次危险的国际事件，当时伊朗学生从美国驻德黑兰大使馆带走了66名美国人，并将他们作为囚犯关押了14个月以上。他们要求将伊朗的前沙赫从美国遣送回伊朗进行审判。美国总统吉米·卡特（Jimmy Carter）在1980年4月下令进行一次营救尝试，但失败了。这场危机是卡特（Carter）在1980年大选中输给罗纳德·里根（Ronald Reagan）的重要原因。囚犯于1981年1月20日获释，里根就任总统之日。