Operation Eagle Claw

2025-05-30T22:33:34Z

149.74.63.238: /* Planning and preparation */Error

{{Short description|Failed 1980 American military operation in Iran}}
{{About|the operation during the Iran Hostage Crisis|the operation during the Iraq War|Operation Eagle Claw XI}}
{{Redirect-distinguish-text|Operation Rice Bowl|the [[Catholic Relief Services]] program to end hunger and poverty}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox operational plan
| name = Operation Eagle Claw
| partof = the [[Iran hostage crisis]]
| image = Eagle Claw wrecks at Desert One.png
| caption = Overview of the wreckage at the ''Desert One'' landing field in Iran
| scope =
| type =
| location = Near [[Tabas]], [[South Khorasan]], Iran
| coordinates = {{Coord|33|04|23|N|55|53|33|E|type:event_region:IR-29|display=inline,title|format=dms}}
| map_type =
| latitude =
| longitude =
| map_size =
| map_caption =
| map_label =
| planned =
| planned_by =
| commanded_by = {{Plain list|
* [[File:Flag of the President of the United States.svg|25px]] President [[Jimmy Carter]]
* Maj. Gen. [[James B. Vaught]] (US Army)
* Col. James H. Kyle (USAF)
* Lt. Col. Edward R. Seiffert (USMC)
* Col. [[Charles Alvin Beckwith|Charles A. Beckwith]] (US Army)
* [[Howard Hart|Howard Philips Hart]] (CIA)
}}
| objective = rescue of US hostages
| target = [[Embassy of the United States, Tehran]]
| date = 24–25 April 1980
| time =
| time-begin =
| time-end =
| timezone =
| executed_by = {{Army|United States}}
* [[File:U.S. Army Special Operations Command SSI (1989-2015).svg|15px]] [[Delta Force]]
* [[File:Ranger Tab.svg|20px]] [[United States Army Rangers|US Army Rangers]]
* [[File:USA - Special Forces Branch Insignia.png|20px]] [[United States Army Special Forces]]

{{flagicon image|Flag of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.svg}} [[Central Intelligence Agency]]
* [[File:CIA Directorate of Operations Logo.svg|20px]] [[Special Activities Center|Special Activities Division]]
'''Logistical support:'''
* [[File:Flag of the United States Air Force.svg|22px]] [[United States Air Force]]
* [[File:Flag of the United States Marine Corps.svg|22px]] [[United States Marine Corps]]
* [[File:Flag of the United States Navy.svg|22px]] [[United States Navy]]
| outcome = Mission failed<br />1 helicopter and 1 transport aircraft destroyed<br />5 helicopters abandoned/captured
| casualties =
| fatalities = 8 US servicemen killed & 4 injured <br /> 1 Iranian civilian (alleged by Iranian Army)
| injuries =
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Iran Hostage Crisis}}
}}
{{OSM Location map 
| coord = {{coord|33.07020674739667|55.89196171977231}} 
| zoom = 7 
| width = 300
| height = 150
| caption = ''Desert 1'' location in central Iran

| minimap = file top left 
| mini-file = Iran 2001 CIA map.jpg
| mini-width = 70 
| mini-height = 70 
| minipog-gx = 66 
| minipog-gy = 50 

| label = Desert One
| mark-coord = {{coord|33.07020674739667|55.89196171977231}}
| label-pos = right
| mark-title = Desert One
| mark-image = Operation Eagle Claw-Tabas.jpg
| mark-description=Helicopter and C-130 remnants at Desert One
}}

'''Operation Eagle Claw''' ([[Persian language|Persian]]: عملیات پنجه عقاب) was a failed [[U.S. Department of Defense]] attempt to rescue [[Iran hostage crisis|52 embassy staff held captive by Revolutionary Iran]] on 24 April 1980. It was ordered by US President [[Jimmy Carter]] after the staff were seized at the [[Embassy of the United States, Tehran]]. The operation, one of [[Delta Force]]'s first, encountered many obstacles and failures and was subsequently aborted.<ref name="Gabriel106" /> Eight helicopters were sent to the first staging area called ''Desert One'', but only five arrived in operational condition.<ref name="Atlantic">{{cite web |last=Bowden |first=Mark |title=The Desert One Debacle |date=May 2006 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/05/the-desert-one-debacle/304803/2/ |work=The Atlantic |access-date=20 September 2013 |archive-date=21 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054019/http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/05/the-desert-one-debacle/304803/2/ |url-status=live }}</ref> One had encountered hydraulic problems, another was caught in a [[haboob|sand storm]], and the third showed signs of a cracked rotor blade. During the operational planning, it was decided that the mission would be aborted if fewer than six helicopters remained operational upon arrival at the Desert One site, despite only four being absolutely necessary.<ref name="Atlantic" /> In a move that is still discussed in military circles, the field commanders advised President Carter to abort the mission, which he did.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mindef.gov.sg/safti/pointer/back/journals/2002/Vol28_2/5.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031110141342/http://www.mindef.gov.sg/safti/pointer/back/journals/2002/Vol28_2/5.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 November 2003|title=Operation Eagle Claw, 1980: A Case Study in Crisis Management and Military Planning |publisher=[[Ministry of Defence (Singapore)|Ministry of Defence of Singapore]]}}</ref>

As the US forces prepared to withdraw from ''Desert One'', one of the remaining helicopters crashed into a transport aircraft that contained both servicemen and jet fuel. The resulting fire destroyed both aircraft and killed eight servicemen.<ref name="Atlantic" /> In the context of the [[Iranian Revolution]], Iran's new leader, Ayatollah [[Ruhollah Khomeini]], stated that the mission had been stopped by an act of God ("angels of God") who had foiled the US mission in order to protect Iran and its new [[Islamist]] government. In turn, Carter blamed his loss in the [[1980 United States presidential election|1980 US presidential election]] mainly on his failure to secure the release of the hostages. The American hostages were released the day of [[Ronald Reagan]]'s [[First inauguration of Ronald Reagan|inauguration]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Jimmy Carter: Iran hostage rescue should have and could have worked if the US was more prepared |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=17 September 2010 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-09-17-iran-hostages-jimmy-carter_N.htm |access-date=7 September 2017 |archive-date=10 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210141301/http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-09-17-iran-hostages-jimmy-carter_N.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Motivation for military intervention==
{{Main|Iran hostage crisis}}
On 4 November 1979, fifty-two American diplomats and citizens were taken hostage in the United States Embassy in Tehran, Iran, by a group of Iranian college students belonging to the [[Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line]], avid supporters of the [[Iranian Revolution]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Penn, Nate|url=https://www.gq.com/story/iran-hostage-crisis-tehran-embassy-oral-history|title=444 Days in the Dark: An Oral History of the Iran Hostage Crisis|magazine=[[GQ]]|date=3 November 2009|access-date=6 January 2020|archive-date=5 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505094637/https://www.gq.com/story/iran-hostage-crisis-tehran-embassy-oral-history|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Sahimi, Muhammad|title=The Hostage Crisis, 30 Years On|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2009/11/30-years-after-the-hostage-crisis.html|work=[[Frontline (American TV program)|Frontline]]|publisher=[[PBS]]|date=3 November 2009|access-date=6 January 2020|archive-date=10 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410094257/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2009/11/30-years-after-the-hostage-crisis.html|url-status=live}}</ref> American President [[Jimmy Carter]] called the hostage-taking an act of "blackmail" and the hostages "victims of terrorism and anarchy".<ref name=Carter1>{{cite web |url=http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Documents/2010/April%202010/0410fullkeeper.pdf |title=Air Force Magazine |date=5 April 2016 |access-date=5 May 2016 |archive-date=27 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127221703/http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Documents/2010/April%202010/0410fullkeeper.pdf |url-status=usurped }}</ref> but in Iran it was widely seen as an act against the US and its influence in Iran, including its perceived attempts to undermine the Iranian Revolution and its longstanding support of the Shah of Iran, [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]], who was overthrown in 1979.<ref name="BG">{{cite web|last1=Kinzer|first1=Stephen|title=Thirty-five years after Iranian hostage crisis, the aftershocks remain|publisher=The Boston Globe|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/11/04/thirty-five-years-after-iranian-hostage-crisis-aftershocks-remain/VIEKSajEUvSmDQICGF8R7K/story.html|website=BostonGlobe.com|access-date=15 April 2018|archive-date=16 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416073434/https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/11/04/thirty-five-years-after-iranian-hostage-crisis-aftershocks-remain/VIEKSajEUvSmDQICGF8R7K/story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The crisis had reached a climax after diplomatic negotiations failed to secure the release of the hostages. Facing elections and with little to show from negotiations, the Carter government ordered the State Department to sever diplomatic relations with Iran on 7 April 1980.{{sfnp|Ryan|1985|p=49}} [[Cyrus Vance]], the [[United States Secretary of State]], had argued against a push by [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] [[Zbigniew Brzezinski]] for a military solution to the crisis.<ref name=NYTmag>{{cite news|last1=Douglas Brinkley|title=The Lives They Lived; Out of the Loop|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/29/magazine/the-lives-they-lived-out-of-the-loop.html|access-date=3 May 2017|work=[[The New York Times Magazine]]|date=29 December 2002|author1-link=Douglas Brinkley|archive-date=14 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614220459/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/29/magazine/the-lives-they-lived-out-of-the-loop.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Vance left Washington on Thursday 10 April for a long weekend vacation in Florida.<ref name=NYTmag/> The following day, Friday 11 April, Brzezinski held a newly scheduled meeting of the [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]] where he insisted that it was time to "lance the boil",{{sfnp|Ryan|1985|p=50}} and Carter said it was "time for us to bring our hostages home".{{sfnp|Carter|1982|p=507}} During this Security Council meeting of 11 April Carter confirmed that he had authorized the mission.<ref name=NYTmag/>{{sfnp|Ryan|1985|p=50}}{{#tag:ref|Deputy Secretary [[Warren Christopher]], who attended the meeting in Vance's place, did not inform Vance. Furious, Vance handed in his resignation on principle, calling Brzezinski "evil".<ref name=NYTmag/>| group="Note"}} He also continued to entertain the planning for a concurrent punitive air-strike, but this was finally rejected on 23 April, one day before the start of the mission,{{sfnp|Ryan|1985|p=50}} which was code-named ''Operation Eagle Claw''.<ref name="Britannica2">[https://www.britannica.com/event/Operation-Eagle-Claw] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718002643/https://www.britannica.com/event/Operation-Eagle-Claw|date=18 July 2018}}| Britannica: Operation Eagle Claw rescue mission: 1980</ref>

''Operation Eagle Claw'' occurred amid a breakdown in [[Iran–Iraq relations|diplomatic relations]] between Iran and its western neighbor [[Ba'athist Iraq|Iraq]], including frequent border skirmishes, calls by Khomeini for Iraqi [[Shia Islam|Shi'ites]] to revolt against the ruling [[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region|Ba'ath Party]], and allegations of Iraqi support for Arab and Kurdish separatists in Iran. According to an 11 April 1980 [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) analysis, "Evidence indicates that Iraq had probably planned to initiate a major military move against Iran with the aim of toppling the Khomeini regime" and had "sought to engage the [[Kuwait]]is to act as intermediary in obtaining United States approval and support for Iraqi military action against Iran". Carter, who wrote in his diary on 10 April that "The Iranian terrorists are making all kinds of crazy threats to kill the American hostages if they are invaded by Iraq—whom they identify as an American puppet," may have been influenced by such reports to approve a rescue mission prior to the outbreak of a possible [[Iran–Iraq War]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Emery|first=Chris|title=The Iran–Iraq War: New International Perspectives|chapter=Reappraising the Carter Administration's response to the Iran–Iraq war|publisher=[[Routledge]]|year=2013|isbn=9780415685245}}</ref>

==Planning and preparation==
[[File:RH-53Ds on elevator of USS Nimitz (CVN-68) off Iran 1980.JPEG|thumb|A pair of [[Sikorsky RH-53D Sea Stallion|RH-53Ds]] aboard {{USS|Nimitz|CVN-68|6}} |alt=]]
Planning for a possible rescue mission began on 6 November, two days after the hostages were taken.{{sfnp|Carter|1982|p=459}} Army Major General [[James B. Vaught]] was appointed as Joint Task Force commander and was to be forward-based at Wadi Kena in Egypt, reporting directly to the President. In turn, he had two field commanders: USAF Colonel James H. Kyle as the field commander for aviation and US Army Colonel [[Charles Alvin Beckwith|Charlie Beckwith]] as ground forces field commander.<ref name="Waugh, Jr">{{cite web|last1=Waugh |first1=William L. Jr|title=The Structure of Decision-Making in the Iranian Hostage Rescue Attempt and its Implications for Conflict Management|url=https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/JCS/article/viewFile/14890/15959|website=The Centre for Digital Scholarship Journals|access-date=27 April 2016|archive-date=1 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601195015/https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/JCS/article/viewFile/14890/15959|url-status=live}}</ref> In planning the operation, some of the maps the US used were tourist maps.<ref>{{Citation|title=In Iran, They Left 52 Hostages Behind. This Veteran Kept The Maps. {{!}} American Veteran| date=16 November 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2JPrTCCpkk|language=en|access-date=19 January 2022|archive-date=26 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226104200/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2JPrTCCpkk|url-status=live}}</ref>

The plan was designed so all four main services of the [[Department of Defense (United States)|Department of Defense]] would have a part: Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force. It was planned that helicopters and [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|C-130]] aircraft, following different routes, would rendezvous on a salt flat (code-named ''Desert One'') 200 miles (320 km) southeast of [[Tehran]]. Here the helicopters would refuel from the C-130s and pick up the combat troops who had flown in on the C-130 transports. The helicopters would then transport the troops to a mountain location (''Desert Two'') closer to Tehran, from which the rescue raid would be launched into the city the following night.<ref name="Britannica2"/> The operation was further to be supported by an in-country CIA team.<ref name="Spies"/> On completion of the raid, hostages were to be taken to a captured Tehran airport from where they were to be flown to Egypt.<ref name="Britannica2" />

On 31 March, anticipating the need for military action, a [[United States Air Force Combat Control Team|US Air Force Combat Controller]], Major John T. Carney Jr., was flown in a [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter|Twin Otter]] to ''Desert One'' by covert CIA operatives Jim Rhyne and Claude "Bud" McBroom for a clandestine survey of the proposed landing areas for the helicopters and C-130s. Carney installed remotely operated [[infrared]] lights and an [[IR strobe]] to outline a landing pattern for the pilots.{{#tag:ref|The "box four and one" light pattern acted like a gun sight, with the distant fifth light at the end of the runway lining up in the center of the near four lights positioned at the approach end. The box provided a touchdown area and the far light marked the end of the rollout area.<ref name="Bottoms"/> McBroom and Rhyne were awarded the [[Distinguished Intelligence Cross]] for this clandestine mission.<ref>[https://www.soc.mil/SWCS/RegimentalHonors/_pdf/sf_mcbroom.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322131013/https://www.soc.mil/SWCS/RegimentalHonors/_pdf/sf_mcbroom.pdf |date=22 March 2021 }} {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>| group="Note"}} He also took soil samples to determine the load-bearing properties of the desert surface. At the time of the survey, the salt-flat floor was hard-packed sand, but in the ensuing three weeks an ankle-deep layer of powdery sand had been deposited by sandstorms.<ref name="Bottoms">{{cite web |last=Bottoms |first=Mike |year=2007 |url=http://www.specialoperations.net/Spear/tipspear.pdf |title=Carney receives Simons Award |pages=26–31 |work=Tip of the Spear |publisher=United States Special Operations Command Public Affairs Office |access-date=11 November 2010 |archive-date=1 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601232844/http://www.specialoperations.net/Spear/tipspear.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Pushies">{{cite book|last1=Pushies|first1=Fred|title=Deadly Blue: Battle Stories of the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command|date=2009|publisher=AMACOM|isbn=978-0814413609|page=15|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6kL_ghxEr_QC&q=Major+John+T.+Carney+Jr.%2COperation+Eagle+Claw&pg=PA15|access-date=19 October 2020|archive-date=24 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124012625/https://books.google.com/books?id=6kL_ghxEr_QC&q=Major+John+T.+Carney+Jr.%2COperation+Eagle+Claw&pg=PA15|url-status=live}}</ref>

Helicopter selected was RH-53D due to its payload, range and being shipborne. USAF HH-53 latest version was optimized flr long range low level night missions,but wasn't shipborne and had just entered in service in 1980. Carrier operations meant USAF HH-53 pilots were discarded. Assault operation discarded Navy pilotos, so CH-53 Marine pilotos were recruited. Assault unit chosen was [[1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta]] (Delta Force), US Military counter terrorist unit operationally certified and fully manned since end of 1979. Squadron A and B of DELTA were assigned to the mission. Rangers would support them and a team of Special Forces Marines would be kept as back up in case reinforcements were needed. What the plan didn't describe was how to move through a hostile city with 53 civilians running to the extraction point.

The Tehran CIA [[Special Activities Division]] in-country paramilitary team, led by retired US Army Special Forces officer [[Richard J. Meadows]], had two assignments: to obtain information about the hostages and the embassy grounds{{#tag:ref|In reality, the most important information came from an embassy cook released by the Iranians. He was discovered on a flight from Tehran at the last minute by another CIA officer, and confirmed that the hostages were centrally located in the embassy compound – this was a key piece of information long sought by the planners.<ref name="Hoe">{{cite book|last1=Hoe|first1=Alan|title=The Quiet Professional: Major Richard J. Meadows of the U.S. Army Special Forces|date=2013|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=978-0813144511|page=237|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SgNDml8oqpIC&q=embassy+cook%2C+Richard+J.+Meadows&pg=PA237|access-date=19 October 2020|archive-date=24 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124012625/https://books.google.com/books?id=SgNDml8oqpIC&q=embassy+cook%2C+Richard+J.+Meadows&pg=PA237|url-status=live}}</ref>| group="Note"}} and to transport the rescue team from ''Desert Two'' to the embassy grounds in pre-staged vehicles.<ref name="Spies">{{cite book|last1=Guerrier|first1=Steven W.|last2=Hastedt|first2=Glenn P.|title=Spies, Wiretaps, and Secret Operations [2 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of American Espionage|date=2010|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1851098071|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=91FyAJDjAvQC&q=information+about+the+hostages+and+the+embassy+grounds%2C+Richard+J.+Meadows&pg=PA261|access-date=19 October 2020|archive-date=24 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124012625/https://books.google.com/books?id=91FyAJDjAvQC&q=information+about+the+hostages+and+the+embassy+grounds%2C+Richard+J.+Meadows&pg=PA261|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Desert One'' was in the [[South Khorasan Province]], in the [[Dasht-e Lut]] desert near [[Tabas]] ({{coord|33|04|23|N|55|53|33|E|}}); ''Desert Two'' was located 50 miles (80 km) short of Tehran at {{coord|35|14|N|52|09|E|}}. A small advanced force infiltrated Tehran and secured a warehouse where five Ford trucks and two Mazda vans with facade compartments that would conceal the assaulters as they went through Iranian checkpoints were kept.

Delta Force operators started their training in a replica of the embassy in Virginia. When planners came up with a helicopter raid Delta training resumed in Arizona. Training revealed Navy’s helicopter pilots lacked tactical expertise flying at low altitude with night vision goggles. Marine aircrews were selected to fly the RH-53D Navy helicopters. Delta force was flown to Germany, and then to Egypt to be prepared and close to Iran.

===Assault teams===
[[File:Operation Eagle Claw Routes.png|thumb|upright 1.2|Planned and actual routes for Operation Eagle Claw]]

The ground forces consisted of 93 Delta soldiers to assault the embassy and a 13-man special forces assault team from Detachment "A" [[Berlin Brigade]] to assault the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where three further hostages were being held.<ref>See [https://arsof-history.org/articles/v2n3_detachment_a_page_1.html Detachment "A", Berlin Brigade]</ref> A third group of 12 [[United States Army Rangers|Rangers]] were to act as the roadblock team at the ''Desert One'' landing area. Rangers were also tasked with taking and holding the Manzariyeh Air Base near Tehran to be used to escape from Iran. In addition, the CIA had prepared an in-country team of 15 Iranian and American [[Persian language|Persian]]-speakers, most of whom would act as truck drivers.<ref name="Cogan"/>

===Ingress===
The complex plan required that on the first night, three USAF [[Lockheed EC-130|EC-130s]] (Call signs: ''Republic 4'', ''5'', and ''6''), carrying the logistical supplies, and three [[Lockheed MC-130|MC-130E Combat Talons]] (Call signs: ''Dragon 1'', ''2'', and ''3''), carrying Delta Force and Ranger troops (132 assault and security troops in total),{{sfnp|Ryan|1985|p=35}} would depart [[Masirah]], off the coast of [[Oman]], for ''Desert One,'' a flight of over {{convert|1000|mi|km}}. They would be refueled by Air Force [[KC-135]] tankers en route. ''Desert One'' would be secured by a protection force, and once secured, a refueling area would be established for the helicopters with approximately {{convert|6000|USgal|L}} of jet fuel being made available from collapsible fuel bladders carried in the C-130s.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Martin|first=Michael E.|title=Chief Master-Sergeant Michael I. Lampe: Warrior, Leader and Visionary|year=2007|place=Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, USA|journal=Air Command and Staff College University|url=http://www.sgtmacsbar.com/CCTPhotos/Gallery07/Lampe.pdf|access-date=1 February 2022|archive-date=1 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201105722/http://www.sgtmacsbar.com/CCTPhotos/Gallery07/Lampe.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Eight [[United States Navy]] (USN) [[Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion|RH-53D Sea Stallion]] (Call signs: ''Bluebeard 1 – 8'')<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Colanar|first=Mike|date=25 April 2020|title=Bluebeard 5|url=https://photorecon.net/bluebeard-5/|access-date=21 August 2020|website=Photorecon|archive-date=20 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920073218/http://photorecon.net/bluebeard-5/|url-status=live}}</ref> helicopters were positioned aboard {{USS|Nimitz|CVN-68|6}}, {{convert|60|mi|km|sigfig=1}} off the coast of Iran.<ref name=Buck>{{cite book
|last1 = Buck
|first1 = Peter
|year = 2015
|title = The Iranian Hostage Rescue Attempt: A Case Study
|publisher = Pickle Partners
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mSZvCwAAQBAJ&q=nimitz
|access-date = 5 April 2017
|isbn = 978-1782899686
|archive-date = 24 January 2023
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230124012626/https://books.google.com/books?id=mSZvCwAAQBAJ&q=nimitz
|url-status = live
}}</ref> The helicopters would fly {{convert|600|mi|km|sigfig=1}} to ''Desert One'', refuel, load up the Delta Force and part of the Ranger teams, then fly {{convert|260|mi|km}} further to ''Desert Two.'' As it would be close to morning, the helicopters and ground forces would hide during the day at ''Desert Two''. The rescue operation would take place the second night.<ref name="Cogan">{{Cite journal |last=Cogan |first=Charles G |year=2003 |title=Desert One and its disorders |journal=The Journal of Military History |volume=67 |pages=201–216 |doi=10.1353/jmh.2003.0017 |s2cid=144263126 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Rescue raid===
[[File:A-7Es on USS Coral Sea Op Eagle Claw April 1980.jpg|thumb|[[A-7 Corsair II|A-7Es]] aboard {{USS|Coral Sea|CV-43|2}} with special identification stripes added specifically for ''Operation Eagle Claw'']]
First, CIA officers who were already inside Iran would bring trucks they had sourced to ''Desert Two''. Together, the CIA officers and ground forces would then drive from ''Desert Two'' into Tehran. This team would assault the embassy and Foreign Affairs building, eliminate the guards, and rescue the hostages, with air support from Air Force [[AC-130]] gunships flying from ''Desert One.'' The hostages and rescue team would then rendezvous with the helicopters from ''Desert Two'' at the nearby [[Shahid Shiroudi Stadium|Amjadieh Stadium]], where the hostages and rescue teams would board the helicopters.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Trenear-Harvey |first1=Glenmore S. |title=Historical Dictionary of Air Intelligence |date=13 April 2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-6294-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pyct3zW6MfwC&dq=Amjadieh&pg=PA56 |access-date=29 January 2022 |language=en |archive-date=24 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124012626/https://books.google.com/books?id=pyct3zW6MfwC&dq=Amjadieh&pg=PA56 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Egress===
In parallel to the rescue, an Army Ranger company would capture the abandoned Manzariyeh Air Base,<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last1=Kahana |first1=Ephraim |last2=Suwaed |first2=Muhammad |title=Historical Dictionary of Middle Eastern Intelligence |date=13 April 2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-6302-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xoftt29B4soC&dq=Manzariyeh+Air+Base+operation+eagle+claw&pg=PA223 |access-date=29 January 2022 |language=en |archive-date=24 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124012628/https://books.google.com/books?id=Xoftt29B4soC&dq=Manzariyeh+Air+Base+operation+eagle+claw&pg=PA223 |url-status=live }}</ref> ({{coord|34|58|58|N|50|48|20|E}}) about {{convert|60|mi|km|sigfig=1}} southwest of Tehran, to allow two [[Lockheed C-141 Starlifter|C-141 Starlifters]]{{sfnp|Carter|1982|p=510}} to arrive from Saudi Arabia. The helicopters would bring all parties from the stadium to the Manzariyeh airbase, and the C-141s would fly them to an airbase in Egypt. The eight helicopters would be destroyed before departure.

===Protection and support===
Protection for the operation was to be provided by [[Carrier Air Wing Eight]] (CVW-8) operating from ''Nimitz'' and [[Carrier Air Wing Fourteen|CVW-14]] operating from {{USS|Coral Sea|CV-43|6}}. For this operation, the aircraft bore special invasion stripe identification on their right wings. This was necessary to distinguish support aircraft from Iranian [[Grumman F-14 Tomcat|F-14]] and [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|F-4]] aircraft purchased by Iran from the US in the time of the Shah. CVW-14 Marine F-4Ns were marked with a red (VMFA-323) or yellow (VMFA-531) stripe enclosed by two black stripes while CVW-14 attack aircraft ([[LTV A-7 Corsair II|A-7]]s and [[Grumman A-6 Intruder|A-6]]s) had an orange stripe enclosed by two black stripes.<ref>name="britannica">{{cite web|last1=Lambert|first1=Laura|title=Operation Eagle Claw|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Operation-Eagle-Claw|website=britannica|access-date=17 November 2020|archive-date=18 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718002643/https://www.britannica.com/event/Operation-Eagle-Claw|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Thigpen|first1=Jerry L.|last2=Hobson|first2=James L.|title=The Praetorian STARShip: The Untold Story of the Combat Talon|date=2011|publisher=Air University Press|isbn=978-1780391977|page=210|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nJPUqEmN1ukC&q=Finalized+plan+of+%22Operation+Eagle+Claw%22&pg=PA212|access-date=19 October 2020|archive-date=24 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124012627/https://books.google.com/books?id=nJPUqEmN1ukC&q=Finalized+plan+of+%22Operation+Eagle+Claw%22&pg=PA212|url-status=live}}</ref>

==The mission==
[[File:RH-53SeaStallionIranOperation.jpg|thumb|right|Repainted ''Bluebeard'' RH-53D helicopters in sand [[camouflage]] and without markings aboard {{USS|Nimitz|CVN-68|6}}]]
Only the delivery of the soldiers, equipment and fuel by the C-130 aircraft went according to plan.<ref name="Kamps"/> MC-130 ''Dragon 1'' landed at ''Desert One'' at 22:47 local time. The landing was made under blacked-out conditions using the improvised infrared landing light system installed by Carney on the airstrip, visible only through [[Night vision device|night vision goggles]]. The heavily loaded ''Dragon 1'' required four passes to determine that there were no obstructions on the airstrip{{#tag:ref|This was done by use of a [[Forward looking infrared]] (FLIR) pass before attempting to land.| group="Note"}} and to align with the runway. ''Dragon 1'' off-loaded the road-watch teams in Jeeps and a [[United States Air Force Combat Control Team|USAF Combat Control Team (CCT)]]<ref name="Dominic">{{cite book|last1=Caraccilo|first1=Dominic|title=Forging a Special Operations Force: The US Army Rangers|date=2015|publisher=Helion and Company|isbn=978-1912174416|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sv4sDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA112|access-date=9 April 2018|archive-date=24 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124012627/https://books.google.com/books?id=Sv4sDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA112|url-status=live}}</ref> to establish a parallel landing zone north of the dirt road and to set out [[Tactical air navigation system|TACAN beacons]] to guide in the helicopters.

Soon after the first crews landed and began securing ''Desert One'', a civilian Iranian bus with a driver and 43 passengers was stopped while traveling on the road, which now served as the runway for the aircraft. The bus was forced to halt by the Rangers and the passengers were detained aboard ''Republic 3''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bowden|first1=Mark|title=The Desert One Debacle|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/05/the-desert-one-debacle/304803/|access-date=9 April 2018|work=The Atlantic|archive-date=1 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301011314/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/05/the-desert-one-debacle/304803/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|It was originally planned to simulate a head-on accident between the tanker and the bus, flying the bus passengers out of Iran aboard ''Dragon 3'' and then returning them to Manzaniyeh on the second night.| group="Note"}} Minutes after the bus had been stopped, the Rangers in the road-watch team observed a fuel tanker truck, ignoring their orders to halt, bearing down on them.{{sfnp|Ryan|1985|p=81}} The truck, apparently smuggling fuel, was blown up by the Army Ranger roadblock team using a [[M72 LAW|shoulder-fired rocket]] as it tried to escape the site. The truck's passenger was killed, but the driver managed to escape in an accompanying pickup truck. As the tanker truck was thought to be engaged in clandestine smuggling, the driver was not considered to pose a security threat to the mission.<ref name="Bowden 2006">Bowden (2006)</ref> The resulting fire illuminated the nighttime landscape for many miles around, and provided a visual guide to ''Desert One'' for the disoriented incoming helicopters.

Two hours into the flight, RH-53D ''Bluebeard 6'' made an emergency landing in the desert when a sensor indicated a cracked rotor blade.{{#tag:ref|A Blade Inspection Method, or [[Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion#Design|BIM, warning light]] came on in the cockpit which warned of a possible leak of the pressurized nitrogen that filled the Sea Stallion's hollow rotors. In the H-53 models that the Marine pilots were accustomed to flying, the BIM indicator meant a crack in one of the massive blades, which had caused rotor failures and several fatal crashes in the past. As a result, Marine H-53 pilots were trained to land immediately after a BIM warning. However, the Navy's RH-53s had newer BIM systems that usually did not foretell a fatal blade failure and no RH-53s had experienced a blade break. Unknown to the Marine pilots, the manufacturer had determined that the helicopter could fly safely for up to 79 hours at reduced speed after a BIM alert.{{sfnp|Kreisher|1999}}| group="Note"}} Its crew was picked up by ''Bluebeard 8'' and the aircraft was abandoned in the desert.{{sfnp| Kreisher |1999|p= }} The remaining helicopters ran into an unexpected weather phenomenon known as a ''[[haboob]]''<ref name=Lessons>{{cite web|last=Radvanyi|first=Richard A.|title=Operation Eagle Claw: Lessons Learned|url=http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA402471|publisher=USMC Command and Staff College|access-date=20 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054444/http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA402471|archive-date=21 September 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> (an enormous, nearly opaque cloud of fine dust). ''Bluebeard 5'' flew into the haboob, but abandoned the mission and returned to the ''Nimitz'' when electrical problems disabled flight instruments and flying without visual references proved impossible. The remaining six helicopters reached ''Desert One'', 50 to 90 minutes behind schedule. ''Bluebeard 2'' arrived last at ''Desert One'' at 01:00 with a malfunctioning secondary hydraulic system, leaving only one hydraulic system to control the aircraft.<ref name="Kamps">{{cite web|last1=Kamps|first1=Charles Tustin|title=Operation Eagle Claw: The Iran Hostage Rescue Mission|url=http://www.au.af.mil/au/afri/aspj/apjinternational/apj-s/2006/3tri06/kampseng.html|website=www.au.af.mil|access-date=9 April 2018|archive-date=4 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404181951/http://www.au.af.mil/au/afri/aspj/apjinternational/apj-s/2006/3tri06/kampseng.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

With only five fully serviceable helicopters now remaining to transport the men and equipment to ''Desert Two'' (minimum of six aircraft was the planned mission's abort threshold), the various commanders reached a stalemate. Senior helicopter pilot Seiffert refused to use unsafe ''Bluebeard 2'' on the mission, while Beckwith (field commander for ground forces) refused to consider reducing his trained rescue team's size. Kyle (the field aviation commander), therefore, recommended to Vaught that the mission be aborted. The recommendation was passed on by satellite radio to the President. After two and a half hours on the ground, the presidential abort confirmation was received.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Dougherty|first1=Kevin|title=Military Decision-Making Processes: Case Studies Involving the Preparation, Commitment, Application and Withdrawal of Force|date=2013|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0786477982|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5eKvAQAAQBAJ&q=abort+order+eagle+claw&pg=PA75|access-date=19 October 2020|archive-date=24 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124012628/https://books.google.com/books?id=5eKvAQAAQBAJ&q=abort+order+eagle+claw&pg=PA75|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Collision and fire==
[[File:Operation Eagle Claw desert one layout.svg|thumb|Plan sketch of Desert One]]

Fuel consumption calculations showed that the extra 90 minutes idling on the ground waiting for the abort confirmation order had made fuel critical for one of the EC-130s. When it became clear that only six helicopters would arrive at ''Desert One'', Kyle had authorized the EC-130s to transfer 1,000 US gallons (3,800 L) from the bladders to their own main fuel tanks, but ''Republic 4'' had already expended all of its bladder fuel refueling three of the helicopters and had none to transfer. To make it to the air tanker refueling track without running out of fuel, it had to leave immediately and was already loaded with part of the Delta team. In addition, RH-53D ''Bluebeard 4'' needed additional fuel, requiring it to be moved to the opposite side of the road.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Russell |first1=Edward T. |title=Crisis in Iran: Operation EAGLE CLAW |url=https://media.defense.gov/2012/Aug/23/2001330106/-1/-1/0/Eagleclaw.pdf |access-date=11 March 2021 |archive-date=29 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129172925/https://media.defense.gov/2012/Aug/23/2001330106/-1/-1/0/Eagleclaw.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

To accomplish both actions, ''Bluebeard 3'' piloted by Maj. James Schaefer{{sfnp|Ryan|1985|p=87}} had to be moved from directly behind the EC-130. The aircraft could not be moved by ground taxi and had to be moved by [[hover taxi]] (flying a short distance at low speed and altitude).<ref name="AIM3_4">Department of Transportation, US Government (2012), pp. 3–4</ref>{{#tag:ref|Either because of a deflated nose gear tire, because of the layer of soft sand, or both. It had originally been positioned behind the EC-130 by a flight technique in which its nose gear was held off the ground while it rolled on its main gear.<ref name="AIM3_4"/>| group="Note"}} A Combat Controller attempted to direct the maneuvre from in front of the aircraft but was blasted by desert sand churned up by the rotor. The Controller attempted to back away, which led ''Bluebeard 3''{{'s}} pilot to mistakenly perceive that his craft was drifting backward (engulfed in a dust cloud, the pilot only had the Controller as a point of reference) and thus attempted to "correct" this situation by applying forward stick to maintain the same distance from the rearward moving marshaller. The RH-53D struck the EC-130's [[vertical stabilizer]] with its main rotor and crashed into the EC-130's [[wing root]].<ref>{{harvnb|Thigpen|2001|p=226}}</ref>

In the ensuing explosion and fire, eight servicemen died: five of the fourteen USAF aircrew in the EC-130, and three of the five USMC aircrew in the RH-53D, with only the helicopter's pilot and co-pilot (both badly burned) surviving.{{#tag:ref|The five US airmen killed were Major Richard L. Bakke, Navigator; Major Harold L Lewis Jr., Pilot & Aircraft Commander; TSgt Joel C. Mayo, Flight Engineer; Major Lyn D. McIntosh, Co-Pilot; and Captain Charles T. McMillan, Navigator. The three US Marine fatalities were Sgt John D. Harvey, Cpl George N. Holmes Jr., and SSgt Dewey L Johnson, the three of them were Marine helicopter crewmen and riflemen. USMC Majors Jim Schaefer, pilot, and Les Petty, co-pilot, were casualties.| group="Note"}} After the crash, it was decided to abandon the helicopters. During the frantic evacuation to the EC-130s by the helicopter crews, unsuccessful attempts were made to retrieve their classified mission documents and destroy the aircraft. The helicopter crews boarded the EC-130s. Five RH-53D aircraft were left behind at Desert One mostly intact, some damaged by shrapnel. They could not be destroyed because they were loaded with ammunition and any fire or explosion would have endangered the EC-130s.{{sfnp|Carter|1982|p=519}}

The EC-130s carried the remaining forces back to the intermediate airfield at Masirah Island, where two C-141 medical evacuation aircraft from the staging base at Wadi Abu Shihat, Egypt,{{#tag:ref|Referred to as Wadi Kena by the US forces due to its location near Qena, {{Coord|26.555058|33.132877|format=dms}})| group="Note"}} picked up the injured personnel, helicopter crews, Rangers, and [[Delta Force]] members, and returned to Wadi Kena. The injured were then transported to [[Landstuhl Army Regional Medical Center]] in Germany. The following day, after learning about the events at Desert One from the local Iranian news, the Tehran CIA team quietly left Iran, with the Iranians unaware of their presence.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bowden|first1=Mark|title=The Desert One Debacle|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/05/the-desert-one-debacle/304803/|access-date=29 December 2016|work=The Atlantic|archive-date=1 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301011314/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/05/the-desert-one-debacle/304803/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
[[File:Usburnedhelicopter.jpg|thumb|right|Wreckage of one of the destroyed ''Bluebeard'' helicopters with an abandoned RH-53D behind]]
The White House announced the failed rescue operation at 01:00 a.m. the following day (25 April 1980).{{sfnp|Ryan|1985|p=95}} Iranian Army investigators found eight bodies (eight Americans) and also alleged to have found the body of an Iranian civilian. However, it has been acknowledged that the fuel tank driver near the landing site who refused to stop, and whose tanker truck exploded after being hit by an anti-tank round, managed to leap from his vehicle and escape in a nearby pickup truck which was following;<ref name=vehiclesatends /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/458949/1980-operation-eagle-claw/|title=1980 - Operation Eagle Claw|publisher=Air Force Support Historical Division|accessdate=May 20, 2024}}</ref><ref name=tankerreport /> it was reported that the gas tank truck and a bus with 44 civilians were the vehicles which were stopped at the opposite ends of the dirt road near the Desert One landing site when the C-130 aircraft landed.<ref name=vehiclesatends>{{cite web|url=https://archives.law.virginia.edu/dengrove/writeup/operation-eagle-claw-attempt-end-iran-hostage-crisis|title=Operation Eagle Claw: An Attempt To End The Hostage Crisis|publisher=University of Virginia Law School|accessdate=May 20, 2024}}</ref><ref name=tankerreport>{{cite news|url=https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/0199desertone/|title=Desert One|first=Otto|last=Kreisher|publisher=Air & Space Forces Magazine|date=1 January 1999|accessdate=20 May 2024}}</ref> Nine caskets were made, with Ayatollah [[Sadegh Khalkhali]] alleging that nine Americans were killed.<ref name=collisionandbodies>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/05/06/iran-releases-bodies-of-us-servicemen/e01c95f3-120a-4ffa-a17a-d26e12c6aa86/|title=Iran Releases Bodies of U.S. Servicemen|first=Jonathan|last=C. Randal|newspaper=Washington Post|date=6 May 1980|accessdate=20 May 2024}}</ref> The American bodies, which were acknowledged to have been numbered at eight,<ref name=collisionandbodies /> were returned to the United States on 6 May 1980,<ref name=collisionandbodies /> and buried at various locations across the country. The 44 Iranian civilians taken prisoner on the bus were released and subsequently gave eyewitness accounts of the operation.<ref name="Bowden 2006" />

===Casualties===
The eight Americans who died included three Marines and five Air Force personnel. On 25 April 1980, [[major general (United States)|Major General]] [[Robert M. Bond]] read a message from President [[Jimmy Carter]] at a memorial service commemorating them in [[Niceville, Florida]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hawk|first1=Kathleen Dupes|last2=Villella|first2=Ron |last3=Varona|first3=Adolfo Leyva de|title=Florida and the Mariel Boatlift of 1980: The First Twenty Days|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DWbvAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA67|access-date=11 October 2014|date=30 July 2014|publisher=University of Alabama Press|isbn=978-0817318376|page=67}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Carter|first=Jimmy |title=Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Jimmy Carter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WFbVAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA780|access-date=11 October 2014|date=1 January 1981|publisher=Best Books on|isbn=978-1623767761|page=780}}</ref> A memorial honoring them was erected in the [[Arlington National Cemetery]] and Carter attended a memorial service there with the families on 9 May.{{sfnp|Carter|1982|p=521}} Three of the servicemen who died – Maj. Richard Bakke, Maj. Harold Lewis Jr., and Sgt. Joel Mayo – were buried in the Arlington National Cemetery in a grave marked by a common headstone, located about 25 feet from the group memorial.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/Iran-Rescue-Mission|title=Iran Rescue Mission Memorial|access-date=8 January 2020|archive-date=10 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510114112/https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/Iran-Rescue-Mission|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, five servicemen were injured, One from Valdosta, Georgia (Capt. Lynn McIntosh), including USMC Majors Jim Schaefer, pilot, and Les Petty, co-pilot.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/eagle_claw.htm|title=Operation Eagle Claw / Evening Light|website=www.globalsecurity.org|access-date=21 November 2020|archive-date=18 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118123203/https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/eagle_claw.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

After the termination of the operation and the abandonment of equipment by the infiltration team, the Iranians became aware of the landings as well as the subsequent accident and fire. Mohammad Montazer al-Qaim, Commander of the Yazd Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) went to the scene to investigate reports from locals. At the same time, without knowing of the investigation activities of the IRGC, the Iranian Air Force conducted two observation flights over the incident area. During the first flight, two F-14s flew over the abandoned US equipment and the flight requested permission to fire on the equipment. This was refused by the Iranian command. The next day, Iranian Air Force F-4 fighter jets patrolling the area thought that the American helicopters were about to fly and they fired at the remaining American equipment with direct order from Abolhassan Banisadr (Iran's president at the time) killing Mohammad Montazer al-Qaim.<ref>Bastani, Hossein (25 May 1999). Destruction of Tabas secret documents: Rereading a 40-year charge against the army." BBC Persian. Retrieved on 16 May 2016.</ref>

===Political consequences===
President Carter [[Iran hostage crisis negotiations|continued to attempt]] to secure the hostages' release before his presidency's end. On 20 January 1981, minutes after Carter's term ended, the 52 US captives held in Iran were released, ending the 444-day Iran hostage crisis.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/1/20 |title=Iran Hostage Crisis ends – History.com This Day in History – January 20, 1981 |publisher=History.com |access-date=8 June 2010 |archive-date=7 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100307171102/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/1/20 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[US Secretary of State]] [[Cyrus R. Vance]], believing that the operation would not work and would only endanger the lives of the hostages, opted to resign, regardless of whether the mission was successful or not. His resignation was confirmed several days later.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://chriswallisblog.wordpress.com/cyrus-r-vance/|title=Cyrus R. Vance|date=22 December 2016|access-date=22 December 2016|archive-date=22 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222225447/https://chriswallisblog.wordpress.com/cyrus-r-vance/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Ruhollah Khomeini]] condemned Jimmy Carter,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.imam-khomeini.ir/en/NewsPrint.aspx?ID=7819 |title=The failure of the US Army in Tabas |work=Imam Khomeini |date=25 April 1980 |access-date=31 May 2015 |archive-date=23 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223220521/http://en.imam-khomeini.ir/en/NewsPrint.aspx?ID=7819 |url-status=live }}</ref> and in a speech after the incident, credited God with protecting Iran.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ward|first1=Steven R.|title=Immortal, Updated Edition: A History of Iran and Its Armed Forces|date=2014|publisher=Georgetown University Press|isbn=978-1626160323|page=237}}</ref><ref name="khamenei">{{cite web |url=http://english.khamenei.ir/news/2167/Operation-Eagle-Claw-God-foiled-the-plot |title=Operation Eagle Claw: God foiled the plot |publisher=english.khamenei.ir |access-date=4 January 2016 |author=Amini, Hossein |date=4 November 2015 |archive-date=21 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121235137/http://english.khamenei.ir/news/2167/Operation-Eagle-Claw-God-foiled-the-plot |url-status=live }}</ref> He said:
{{Blockquote|"Who crushed Mr. Carter's helicopters? We did? The sands did! They were God's agents. Wind is God's agent ... These sands are agents of God. They can try again!"<ref>{{cite news|title=Imam Khomeini: "Sands were God's agent in Tabas."|url=http://kayhan.ir/fa/news/11060|access-date=10 April 2018|work=Kayhan|archive-date=27 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427152715/http://kayhan.ir/fa/news/11060|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
The embassy hostages were subsequently scattered across Iran to preclude any second rescue attempt and were released on 20 January 1981, minutes after Ronald Reagan had taken the oath of office, after winning the 1980 election over Carter.{{sfnp|Ryan|1985|p=105}}

===Investigation and recommendations===
[[File:Sandstorm in Al Asad, Iraq.jpg|thumb|right|Example of a haboob, one of the factors that influenced the outcome of the operation]]
Retired [[Chief of Naval Operations]] [[Admiral]] [[James L. Holloway III]] led the official investigation in 1980 into the causes of the operation's failure on behalf of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Holloway Report primarily cited deficiencies in mission planning, command and control, and inter-service operability, and provided a catalyst to reorganize the Department of Defense.<ref name="Holloway">{{Cite web|author=Holloway, James L. Adm|url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB63/doc8.pdf|title=The Holloway Report|access-date=16 November 2006|archive-date=16 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016212427/http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB63/doc8.pdf|url-status=live}} Accessed 31 March 2007.</ref>

The various services' failure to cohesively work together prompted the establishment of a new multi-service organization several years later. The [[United States Special Operations Command]] (USSOCOM) became operational on 16 April 1987. Each service now has its own special operations forces under USSOCOM's overall control.<ref name="Holloway"/>{{#tag:ref|For example, the Army has its own [[United States Army Special Operations Command|special operations command]], which controls its special operations forces. The [[1st Special Operations Wing|USAF special operations units]] that supplied the rescue attempt's MC-130 elements were awarded the [[Air Force Outstanding Unit Award]] for both that year and the next, had the initial squadron of nine [[MH-53 Pave Low|HH-53 Pave Low]] helicopters transferred from [[Military Airlift Command]] to its jurisdiction for long-range low-level night flying operations, and became co-hosts at its home base of [[Hurlburt Field]] with [[Air Force Special Operations Command]].<ref name="Gabriel106">Gabriel (1985), pp. 106–116.</ref>| group="Note"}}

The lack of well-trained Army helicopter pilots who were capable of the low-level night flying needed for modern special operations missions prompted the creation of the [[160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)|160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR)]] (''Night Stalkers''). In addition to the 160th SOAR's creation, the US Defense Department now trains many military helicopter pilots in low-level penetration, aerial refueling, and use of night-vision goggles. In addition to the formal report, various reasons for the mission failure have been argued, with most analysts agreeing that an excessively complex plan, poor operational planning, flawed command structure, lack of adequate pilot training and poor weather conditions were contributing factors.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j_YI1kVOrpwC&pg=PA68|title=Terrorism, U.S. Strategy, and Reagan Policies|first=Marc A.|last=Celmer|date=1 January 1987|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=9780313256325|via=Google Books|access-date=26 April 2016|archive-date=24 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124012628/https://books.google.com/books?id=j_YI1kVOrpwC&pg=PA68|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Creation of the JCU ====
The Joint Communications Unit (JCU) is a unit of the Joint Special Operations Command charged to standardize and ensure interoperability of the communication procedures and equipment of JSOC and its subordinate units.
The JCU was created in 1980 after the failure of Eagle Claw. Its headquarters are in [[Fort Bragg]], North Carolina.

==Units involved in the operation==
[[File:Operation Eagle Claw remnant in the former embessy.jpg|thumb|RH-53D helicopter rotor remnant from Operation Eagle Claw on display in the former US Embassy in Tehran]]


=== CIA ===
* [[Special Activities Center|Special Activities Division]]/Special Operations Group (SAC/SOG)

===US Air Force===
* [[1st Special Operations Wing]]: [[8th Special Operations Squadron]] (EC-130)<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://www.afsoc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/586537/sacrifices-made-during-operation-eagle-claw-remembered-35-years-later/
|title = Sacrifices made during Operation Eagle Claw remembered 35 years later
|author = Staff Sgt. Katherine Holt
|date = 24 April 2015
|access-date = 30 September 2015
|archive-date = 2 October 2015
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151002020449/http://www.afsoc.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/136/Article/586537/sacrifices-made-during-operation-eagle-claw-remembered-35-years-later.aspx
|url-status = live
}}</ref>
* [[436th Airlift Wing|436th Military Airlift Wing]]<ref name="warnock">{{cite book
|last1 = Warnock
|first1 = A. Timothy
|year = 2000
|title = Short of War: Major USAF Contingency Operations, 1947–1997
|url = http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-101027-044.pdf
|access-date = 30 September 2015
|archive-date = 23 November 2016
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161123170423/http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-101027-044.pdf
|url-status = dead
}}</ref>
* [[437th Airlift Wing|437th Military Airlift Wing]]<ref name="warnock"/>
* [[438th Air Expeditionary Wing|438th Military Airlift Wing]]<ref name="warnock"/>
* [[322d Airlift Division]]<ref name="warnock"/><ref name="No Room For Error">{{cite book |author1=Col John T. Carney Jr. |author2=Benjamin F. Schemmer |title=No Room for Error: The Covert Operations of America's Special Tactics Units from Iran To Afghanistan |year=2003 |publisher=Presidio Press |isbn=978-0345453358}}</ref>

===US Army===
* [[Delta Force|1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta]] ("Delta Force")<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.military.com/special-operations/delta-force.html
|title = Delta Force: Missions and History
|work = military.com
|author = Stew Smith
|access-date = 30 September 2015
|archive-date = 1 October 2015
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151001201359/http://www.military.com/special-operations/delta-force.html
|url-status = live
}}</ref>
* [[10th Special Forces Group (United States)|10th Special Forces Group]] [[Detachment A|Special Forces Detachment "A"]]<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.detachment-a.org/detachment-a-clandestine-special-forces-missions-from-berlin-to-iran/
|title = Detachment A: Clandestine Special Forces Missions from Berlin to Iran
|work = detachment-a.org
|author = Jack Murphy
|date = 9 February 2017
|access-date = 8 August 2018
|archive-date = 10 August 2018
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180810235552/http://www.detachment-a.org/detachment-a-clandestine-special-forces-missions-from-berlin-to-iran/
|url-status = live
}}</ref><ref>James Stejskal, ''Special Forces Berlin: Clandestine Cold War Operations of the US Army's Elite, 1956–1990'' (Casemate, 2017) {{ISBN|978-1541458192}}</ref>
* [[75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger)|75th Infantry Regiment]] (elements from 1st and 2nd Ranger Battalions)<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.goarmy.com/ranger/heritage/first-ranger-battalion.html
| title = 75th Ranger Regiment
| work = goarmy.com
| access-date = 30 September 2015
| archive-date = 25 February 2014
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140225105757/http://www.goarmy.com/ranger/heritage/first-ranger-battalion.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

===US Navy and Marine Corps===
* {{USS|Nimitz|CVN-68}}<ref name=Buck /> with [[Carrier Air Wing Eight|Carrier Air Wing 8]]
* {{USS|Coral Sea|CV-43}}
* {{USS|California|CGN-36}}
* {{USS|Gridley|CG-21}}
* {{USS|Okinawa|LPH-3}}
* {{USS|Alamo|LSD-33}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sheldon|first1=Bob|last2=Balut|first2=Stephen J.|year=2010|title=Military Operations Research Society (MORS) Oral History Project Interview of Dr. Stephen J. Balut. Military Operations Research, vol. 15, no. 1|pages=75–92|publisher=JSTOR|jstor=43941218|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43941218|access-date=11 February 2021|archive-date=24 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124012629/https://www.jstor.org/stable/43941218|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{USS|San Bernardino|LST-1189}}
* {{USS|Mobile|LKA-115}}
* {{USS|Barbey|FF-1088}}
* {{USS|William H. Standley|CG-32}}
* {{USS|Texas|CGN-39}}<ref>{{cite book
|last1 = Higham
|first1 = Robin
|last2 = Parillo
|first2 = Mark
|year = 2013
|title = The Influence of Airpower upon History: Statesmanship, Diplomacy, and Foreign Policy since 1903
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mGwwsMI8CNEC&q=coral+sea
|page = 227
|publisher = University Press of Kentucky
|access-date = 5 April 2017
|isbn = 978-0813140728
|archive-date = 24 January 2023
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230124014715/https://books.google.com/books?id=mGwwsMI8CNEC&q=coral+sea
|url-status = live
}}</ref>
* The USS Flint (AE-32) was also present with the USS Coral Sea as well as other support ships.

==Commemoration==
[[File:Eagle Claw Memorial.JPG|thumb|right|upright|Operation Eagle Claw Memorial in [[Arlington National Cemetery]]]]

===United States===
The official Operation Eagle Claw Memorial is at Arlington National Cemetery and is described by cemetery literature thusly:<ref>{{Cite web|title=Iran Rescue Mission Memorial|url=https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/Iran-Rescue-Mission|access-date=21 August 2020|website=www.arlingtoncemetery.mil|archive-date=25 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925044528/https://arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/Iran-Rescue-Mission|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|text=Dedicated in 1983, the Iran Rescue Mission Memorial consists of a white marble column with a bronze plaque listing the names and ranks of those who lost their lives during the mission.}}

===Iran===
The incident is considered as a US defeat and is commemorated annually in Tabas where government officials, religious leaders and people gather and display wreckage of the American planes and helicopters from the incident.<ref name="Irna">{{cite news|title=Iran marks US defeat anniversary in Tabas desert|url=http://www.irna.ir/en/News/80630549/Politic/Iran_marks_US_defeat_anniversary_in_Tabas_desert|access-date=11 April 2018|work=Islamic Republic News Agency|archive-date=11 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180411174702/http://www.irna.ir/en/News/80630549/Politic/Iran_marks_US_defeat_anniversary_in_Tabas_desert|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="al-Alam">{{cite news|title=Iran marks failed US military operation anniv.|url=http://en.alalam.ir/news/1468128/iran-marks-failed-us-military-operation-anniv-|access-date=11 April 2018|work=en.alalam.ir|date=25 April 2013|archive-date=11 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180411181922/http://en.alalam.ir/news/1468128/iran-marks-failed-us-military-operation-anniv-|url-status=live}}</ref> A mosque called "gratitude mosque" was built at the crash site.<ref>{{cite web|title=God and the captain of revolution in the Tabas desert|url=http://revolution.pchi.ir/show.php?page=contents&id=10083|website=Comprehensive center of contemporary Iranian history|publisher=Political Studies and Research Institute|access-date=11 April 2018|archive-date=12 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412083237/http://revolution.pchi.ir/show.php?page=contents&id=10083|url-status=live}}</ref> On the road from [[Ashkezar]] to Tabas, at the location of ''Desert One'' there are several remnants of the operation, including wreckage and mock-ups of the RH-53D helicopters.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Photos: Iran Marks Anniversary of Failed U.S. Militarty Operation in Tabas|url=http://www.payvand.com/news/12/apr/1263.html|access-date=21 August 2020|website=www.payvand.com|archive-date=4 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204065612/http://www.payvand.com/news/12/apr/1263.html|url-status=live}}</ref>[[file:DeltaTeam1980Iran.jpg|thumb|right|Commemoration for Delta Team casualties at [[Gunter Annex]], Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama]]

An Iranian [[Air defense|air-defense]] system is named [[Tabas (air defense system)|Tabas]], in commemoration of the crash site. At the old Tehran Airport, there is the shell of a RH-53D airframe on display.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Aviation Photo #1695831: Sikorsky RH-53D Sea Stallion (S-65A) – USA – Navy|url=https://www.airliners.net/photo/USA-Navy/Sikorsky-RH-53D-Sea-Stallion-S-65A/1695831|access-date=21 August 2020|website=Airliners.net|archive-date=6 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206103542/https://www.airliners.net/photo/USA-Navy/Sikorsky-RH-53D-Sea-Stallion-S-65A/1695831|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Aviation Photo #1695609: Sikorsky RH-53D Sea Stallion (S-65A) – USA – Navy|url=https://www.airliners.net/photo/USA-Navy/Sikorsky-RH-53D-Sea-Stallion-S-65A/1695609|access-date=21 August 2020|website=Airliners.net|archive-date=4 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204141001/https://www.airliners.net/photo/USA-Navy/Sikorsky-RH-53D-Sea-Stallion-S-65A/1695609|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Aircraft===
* The abandoned ''Bluebeards 2'' and ''8'' were inducted into service with the [[Islamic Republic of Iran Navy]].
* RH-53D ''Bluebeard 5'' is immortalized at Wrightstown Gate [[Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst]], New Jersey<ref name=":0" />
* EC-130E ''Republic 5'' which returned successfully, was retired by the USAF in June 2013 and is now on display at the [[Carolinas Aviation Museum]].<ref>{{cite news|title=EC-130E 62-1857|url=https://www.carolinasaviation.org/exhibits/lockheed-ec-130e-hercules-62-1857/|website=Carolinas Aviation Museum|access-date=1 October 2018|archive-date=21 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621043141/https://www.carolinasaviation.org/exhibits/lockheed-ec-130e-hercules-62-1857/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Second rescue plan==
Shortly after the first mission failed, planning for a second rescue mission was authorized under the name ''Project Honey Badger''. Plans and exercises were conducted,<ref name="Crowl">{{cite magazine|last1=Crowley|first1=Michael|title=The Incredible, Absurd Iranian Hostage Rescue Mission That Never Happened|url=https://swampland.time.com/2013/11/04/the-incredible-iranian-hostage-rescue-plan-that-never-happened/|access-date=10 April 2018|magazine=Time|date=4 November 2013|archive-date=10 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410110027/http://swampland.time.com/2013/11/04/the-incredible-iranian-hostage-rescue-plan-that-never-happened/|url-status=live}}</ref> but the manpower and aircraft requirements grew to involve nearly a battalion of troops, more than fifty aircraft, and such contingencies as transporting a 12-ton bulldozer to rapidly clear a blocked runway. Even though numerous rehearsal exercises were successful, the helicopters' failure during the first attempt resulted in the development of a subsequent concept involving only fixed-wing [[STOL]] aircraft capable of flying from the US to Iran using aerial refueling, then returning to land on an aircraft carrier for medical treatment of wounded.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

The concept called ''[[Operation Credible Sport]]'', was developed but never implemented. It called for a modified Hercules, the YMC-130H, outfitted with [[JATO#Post World War II|rocket thrusters fore and aft]] to allow an extremely short landing and take-off in Amjadieh Stadium. Three aircraft were modified under a rushed secret program. The first fully modified aircraft crashed during a demonstration at [[Duke Field]] at [[Eglin Air Force Base]] on 29 October 1980, when its landing braking rockets were fired too soon. The misfire caused a hard touchdown that tore off the starboard wing and started a fire. All on board survived without injury. The impending change of administration in the White House forced this project's abandonment.<ref>{{cite web |author=James Bancroft |url=http://rescueattempt.tripod.com/id1.html |title=The Hostage Rescue Attempt In Iran, 24–25 April 1980 |access-date=11 November 2010 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716123506/http://rescueattempt.tripod.com/id1.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Popular culture==
* ''Sand Storm'' ({{langx|fa|توفان شن}}), 1997 Iranian film directed by [[Javad Shamaghdari]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sourehcinema.com/Title/Title.aspx?Id=138203152002 |title=فيلم توفان شن |work=Iranian Movie DataBase |year=2015 |access-date=31 May 2015 |language=fa |archive-date=30 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830113502/http://www.sourehcinema.com/Title/Title.aspx?id=138203152002 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* "Ham Avaz-e Toofan" ({{langx|fa|هم‌آواز طوفان}}, "Singing with the Storm"), a song by Hamed Zamani<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.hamedzamanimusic.com/?p=279 |title=Ham Avaz-e Toofan |work=Hamed Zamani Music |year=2015 |access-date=31 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327160332/http://en.hamedzamanimusic.com/?p=279 |archive-date=27 March 2015 }}</ref>
* ''[[The Delta Force]]'' (1986) – the incident is dramatized during the prologue
* This incident is referenced a few times in the ''[[G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (Marvel Comics)|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero]]'' [[comic book]], in particular as the source of the injuries sustained by the popular masked character [[Snake Eyes (G.I. Joe)|Snake Eyes]]
* ''Desert One'', 2019 US documentary by [[Barbara Kopple]] about the operation<ref>{{Citation|title=Desert One|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt10793982/|access-date=21 August 2020|archive-date=10 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110005206/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10793982/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The [[Canadian Caper]], the successful joint [[Canada|Canadian]]-[[CIA]] covert [[Extraction (military)|extraction]] operation of six fugitive American diplomats out of Iran
* "[[O Superman]]" (1981) – the song by Laurie Anderson "is directly related to" the incident.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/apr/08/margaret-atwood-laurie-anderson-big-science-o-superman-prophetic-80s-america-pertinent|title='It has never been more pertinent' – Margaret Atwood on the chilling genius of Laurie Anderson's Big Science|work=The Guardian|year=2021|access-date=13 April 2021|archive-date=12 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412164810/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/apr/08/margaret-atwood-laurie-anderson-big-science-o-superman-prophetic-80s-america-pertinent|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''[[Argo (2012 film)|Argo]]'' (2012) makes reference to the operation and centres on the 1979 revolution.

==Notes and references==
===Explanatory notes===
{{Reflist| group=Note}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

=== General and cited references ===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Beckwith |first=Charlie A.|title=Delta Force: The Army's Elite Counter Terrorist Unit |publisher=Avon |year=2000 |isbn=0-380-80939-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/deltaforcearmyse00beck }}
* {{cite web |last=Bottoms |first=Mike |year=2007 |url=http://www.specialoperations.net/Spear/tipspear.pdf |title=Carney receives Simons Award |pages=26–31 |work=Tip of the Spear |publisher=United States Special Operations Command Public Affairs Office |access-date=11 November 2010 |archive-date=1 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601232844/http://www.specialoperations.net/Spear/tipspear.pdf |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |last=Bowden |first=Mark |title=Guests of the Ayatollah: The First Battle in America's War With Militant Islam |publisher=Atlantic Monthly Press |year=2006 |isbn=0-87113-925-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/guestsofayatolla00bowd }}
* {{cite book |last=Carter |first=Jimmy |date=1 October 1982 |title=Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President |publisher=Bantam Books |isbn=0-553-05023-0}}
* {{cite book |title=Aeronautical Information Manual |year=2012 |publisher=Federal Aviation Administration |pages=4–3–18 |url=http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/media/AIMbasic_2-9-2012.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130305040621/http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/media/AIMbasic_2-9-2012.pdf |archive-date=5 March 2013 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Gabriel |first=Richard A. |year=1985 |title=Military Incompetence: Why the American Military Doesn't Win |url=https://archive.org/details/militaryincompet00gabr |url-access=registration |publisher=Hill and Wang |isbn=0-374-52137-9 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Haney |first=Eric |title=Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counter Terrorist Unit |publisher=Random House |year=2002 |isbn=0-385-33603-9}}
* {{Cite journal| last=Kamps| first=Charles Tustin| title=Operation Eagle Claw: The Iran Hostage Rescue Mission| journal=Air & Space Power Journal| year=2006| url=http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/apjinternational/apj-s/2006/3tri06/kampseng.html| access-date=18 March 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402215434/http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/apjinternational/apj-s/2006/3tri06/kampseng.html| archive-date=2 April 2010| url-status=dead}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ryan |first=Paul B. |year=1985 |title=The Iranian Rescue Mission: Why It Failed |location=Annapolis |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=0-87021-321-0}}
* {{Cite book |last=Thigpen |year=2001 |title=The Praetorian STARShip: The Untold Story of the Combat Talon |publisher=DIANE Publishing |isbn=9781428990432}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Kyle |first=James H. |title=The Guts to Try |publisher=Orion Books|location=New York |year=1990 |isbn=0-517-57714-3}}
* {{Cite book |last=Lenahan |first=Rod |title=Crippled Eagle: A Historical Perspective Of U.S. Special Operations 1976–1996 |publisher=Narwhal Press |year=1998 |isbn=1-886391-22-X}}
* Olausson, Lars, Lockheed Hercules Production List 1954–2005, Såtenäs, Sweden, annually, no ISBN.

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/05/the-desert-one-debacle/4803/ "The Desert One Debacle"] – ''[[The Atlantic]]'', May 2006
* [http://www.helis.com/featured/eagle_claw.php Operation Eagle Claw: Pictorial overview]
* [https://www.af.mil/News/airman/0401/hostage/ ''Airman'' magazine] – Archive of interviews with surviving participants
* [http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB63/doc8.pdf ''The Holloway Report''] – The official [[United States Department of Defense|DoD]] investigation into the incident
* [[Charles Cogan]], [https://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_military_history/v067/67.1cogan.html "Desert One and Its Disorders"], ''The Journal of Military History'' 67.1 (2003) 201–216

{{Iran–United States relations}}
{{Presidency of Jimmy Carter}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eagle Claw}}
[[Category:Conflicts in 1980]]
[[Category:April 1980 in Asia]]
[[Category:Iran hostage crisis]]
[[Category:Iran–United States military relations]]
[[Category:20th-century military history of the United States]]
[[Category:Operations involving American special forces]]
[[Category:Battles involving the United States]]
[[Category:Battles involving Iran]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps in the 20th century]]
[[Category:1980 in Iran]]
[[Category:Airborne operations]]
[[Category:Lockheed C-130 Hercules]]
[[Category:Hostage rescue operations involving the United States]]
[[Category:CIA activities in Iran]]
[[Category:CIA activities in the Middle East]]
[[Category:Presidency of Jimmy Carter]]

wiki143 - User contributions [en]

Operation Eagle Claw