In the meantime America, accused of meddling in the domestic affairs of Islamic Republic, was encountering the country's 40th presidential election. Accordingly, the Iranian diplomats had to decide whether to begin negotiations with the then President Jimmy Carter or wait to see who would be the next US president, Carter or Republican candidate Ronald Reagan, Khabar Online reports.
Regarding the issue, Sabah Zanganeh, a member of Defense Committee of Iran's first Majlis (Parliament), told Khabar Online that there were different ideas about diplomatic ties and negotiations with the US at the time.
"I remember the proper time for mutual negotiations about the American hostages and settling financial benefits and Iran's purchases had been our agenda. Some believed that the returns of the negotiations should be finalized after the US presidential election," the senior politician said.
Their argument was that the then president's term would soon finish and it was not clear whether the next president would follow the terms of any possible agreements signed before election, Sabah Zanganeh also said.
Meanwhile, other Iranian politicians thought that it was the best time for such agreements as Iran could win a number of major concessions from the American side, he added.
"Concerning the time of negotiations, it was believed that as the Democrats had helped with proposing a more open political atmosphere during the Kingdom of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, they could follow the same policy and provide Iran with further concessions. And it was also said that the Democrats would accept Iran's proposed concessions in order to win the election. Accordingly some Iranian politicians believed that the issue of hostages should be resolved while Carter was in office," Sabah Zanganeh also said.
"However, others thought that the issue should be raised after the winner of the election was known. They believed the advantage of negotiations could be sold to the winner, who could use such diplomatic success when he sworn in as president. The Iranian politicians also thought that it was not a good idea to invest on Carter and had to give the advantage to the winner of the election, who could provide Iran with more concessions," he added.
In November 1979 and in less than a year after the victory of the Islamic Revolution that toppled a US-backed monarchy, Iranian university students that called themselves "students following the line of [the late] Imam [Khomeini]" seized the US embassy in Tehran.
The students justified the takeover by insisting that the compound had become a center of espionage and planning to overthrow the newly institute Islamic Republic establishment in Iran.
