A protester waves a photo of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a rally in Tehran in solidarity with the government against Israeli attacks, on June 14, 2025. Atta Kenare/AFP
It's April 12, 1980, and history is moving at breakneck speed, propelled forward by the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the Camp David Accords and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. But for the American diplomats held hostage in Tehran for five months, time is standing still. Operation ‘Eagle Claw’ — President Jimmy Carter’s mission to rescue the captives — has yet to begin.Thirty-something-year-old John Limbert sits in solitary confinement. One spring morning, he receives a visit from two Swiss representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross and then a stranger arrives, accompanied by a small film crew. He is frail, with a black beard and matching turban — a cleric sent by a regime still in its infancy. The event, which feels like a charm offensive aimed at the international community, is caught on camera.Limbert’s...
It's April 12, 1980, and history is moving at breakneck speed, propelled forward by the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the Camp David Accords and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. But for the American diplomats held hostage in Tehran for five months, time is standing still. Operation ‘Eagle Claw’ — President Jimmy Carter’s mission to rescue the captives — has yet to begin.Thirty-something-year-old John Limbert sits in solitary confinement. One spring morning, he receives a visit from two Swiss representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross and then a stranger arrives, accompanied by a small film crew. He is frail, with a black beard and matching turban — a cleric sent by a regime still in its infancy. The event, which feels like a charm offensive aimed at the international community, is caught on...
