With Iran, Against Americans

[Reza <davood@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

NY Times
December 12, 2001
With Iran, Against Americans
By BARRY ROSEN

  I was one of the Americans held hostage by the government of Iran for
444 days beginning in 1979. I was kidnapped at gunpoint from the
American Embassy in Tehran, blindfolded, interrogated, beaten and locked
in a government prison cell where I was not allowed to speak to anyone.
For months I was kept next to a torture chamber; to this day, I cannot
forget the screams of the dying. Some of the embassy people kidnapped
with me were subjected to mock executions and threatened with the
kidnapping and dismemberment of their children.

We were seized while performing the critical diplomatic role of
maintaining a bridge between nations and cultures in a time of great
turmoil. On duty, we became early victims of the terrorism that has now
spread to our country. Iran has not renounced terrorism in the
intervening years. The State Department listed Iran as the most active
state sponsor of terrorism in the world for the year 2000.
FULL TEXT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/12/opinion/12ROSE.html