Operation Eagle Claw: The story behind the failed hostage rescue in Iran
A US military operation was planned to rescue American hostages held in Iran. In April 1980, a US Air Force Combat Controller, Maj. John T.
Carney Jr. , was flown to a location in the South Khorasan Province, known as Desert One. He installed infrared lights and tested the ground, which was found to be hard-packed sand.
The mission, led by Col. Charles Beckwith, involved coordination between multiple military branches and the CIA. It was a complex operation, intended to take two nights and divided into multiple phases.
Further details about the mission, including its outcome, are available from the source. The operation was a response to the 149-day hostage crisis, in which 52 American diplomats and embassy personnel were held captive by Iranian students.
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