{"id":262627,"date":"2022-09-06T12:57:10","date_gmt":"2022-09-06T10:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=262627"},"modified":"2026-02-19T15:23:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T14:23:01","slug":"an-overview-of-irans-history-of-hostage-taking-and-how-western-appeasement-has-fueled-tehrans-terrorism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/publications\/special-reports\/an-overview-of-irans-history-of-hostage-taking-and-how-western-appeasement-has-fueled-tehrans-terrorism\/","title":{"rendered":"Iranian Regime’s History of Hostage-Taking and how Western Appeasement has Fueled Tehran’s Terrorism"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"iran-appeasement-mainpage2\"<\/p>\n

Updated on February 19, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Prior to Iran\u2019s 1979 revolution, all political voices were silenced by the Shah, and society suffered extensively from political ignorance. Though the monarchy had traditionally enjoyed their support, when the Shah was toppled by a nationwide uprising, he was soon replaced by an undereducated, unqualified, and power-thirsty clerical gang.<\/p>\n

Beginning in the immediate aftermath of the revolution, this gang was bent on cracking down on domestic opposition. Meanwhile, the new regime gradually learned<\/a> to develop a strategy of hostage-taking and terrorism to achieve one goal: spreading warfare abroad to preserve an illegitimate rule at home.<\/p>\n

The following study will show how this strategy has helped the clerical extremists in Tehran to pursue two vital aims: creating leverage on the international stage and eliminating domestic opposition.<\/p>\n

The Western response has been deficient and has assisted the regime\u2019s terror machine in executing its strategy. Either due to electoral reservations, economic interests, or strategic miscalculation, appeasement has only emboldened Tehran to continue the same extortion tactics for more than four decades.<\/p>\n

The following overview highlights only a fraction of the instances of Iranian terrorism and hostage-taking. It does not include hundreds of terrorist operations against the National Council of Resistance (NCRI), the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MEK\/PMOI), or other dissident groups in Iraq or the numerous assassinations of dissidents that took place inside Iran.<\/p>\n

Neither does it include most of the various terrorist plots that either failed, were thwarted, or resulted in no loss of life. Rather it is primarily focused on the assaults that have led to the death of the victim(s) and where the state in which the attack took place has failed to hold the perpetrators to account.<\/p>\n

This overview only has one objective: to show the destructive effects of responding to Iranian terrorism with what has been called diplomacy<\/em> with peace as its aim but has in fact led to more terrorism, instability, and destruction.<\/p>\n

The following patterns are evident as a result of this review:<\/p>\n