I watched this movie in Tehran and visited one of the main scenes of the movie the next day, the current "former US Embassy". It has been 40 years since the hostage incident, and it has been transformed into an anti-American museum. The one-armed Statue of Liberty and other propaganda posters on the outer wall have just been updated. The brightly colored designs are very interesting. There are very good English commentators in the museum, who specialize in taking foreigners to tour and answer various questions. The following is a compilation of some of our conversations:
Q: Is the movie Escape from Tehran banned in Iran?
A: There is no such rule. I have watched it more than once. Many Iranians have watched this movie. No one forbids us to watch it. Of course, it cannot be shown in theaters.
Q: The movie was completely shot by the American director and team. From the perspective of Iranians, is the movie the same as history?
A: There is not much difference, it is basically based on real events. Of course, the scenes in the movie about taking hostages were very intense, but in fact it was not so dramatic. (Note: It is said on the Wiki that the hostages bought air tickets at 5 am, and were released hastily without any interrogation...)
Q: How was the occupation of the American embassy at that time?
A: At that time, there was no armed conflict. The students shouted "We don't want to hurt anyone, we just want to support our country". The military used tear gas at most and no casualties. Everything happened peacefully. (Note: Some of the video records at the time that I showed us later are indeed calmer)
Q: Really like the movie said, did you use child labor to restore all the files that were shredded by the shredder at that time?
A: I did put together the files shredded by the shredder a little bit (show us the photos). But it was all done by students, and it took a lot of patience. Many of the documents are formal English documents that children cannot complete.
Q: In the end, did the hostages return home safely? (The word used in our dialogue is Diplomats)
A: Yes, our purpose is not to hurt anyone. During the more than a year when they were confined in Iran, people from all walks of life would visit them from time to time. For example, pastors would go to celebrate Christmas with them, and doctors would regularly check their bodies.
Seven of the 52 diplomats at the time were members of the CIA, and one of them was their leader. This is where they work. CIA members perform encryption and decryption in the secret room, and embassy staff are in another room, passing documents to each other through a small window. When the incident happened, the ambassador and most of the people had already returned to the country. At most, there were thousands of people here, and only more than 50 people were left on that day.
Q: How do you know which people are members of the CIA?
A: The information about the members of the CIA is seen in a book whose title is "Guests of the Ayatolla", which is their own statement. In addition, a room in the embassy has all encryption and decryption equipment, and the security level is also very high. The room outside is the same as other rooms in the embassy.
Q: What is the CIA's spy mission in Iran?
A: It mainly includes two, one is to keep Iran from falling into the hands of the Soviet regime, and the other is to obtain energy such as crude oil.
Q: Do you think it is possible for Iran to re-cooperate with the United States in the future?
A: (Pause for a long time)
This question is difficult. It has been repeatedly mentioned in Iran for the past four decades, and there is no answer until now. Not only that, the situation between the two countries has worsened. I think that if there is cooperation in the future, it should be based on mutual respect. Politics should not be interfered, culture should not be eroded, and language should not be suppressed. Cooperation can be discussed only on the basis of equality.
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This conversation is not an interview, it is just the personal opinion of an Iranian, and I have not further verified the authenticity of the information in it. However, it is interesting to compare it with the Western world's attitude towards hostage incidents. During the one and a half months of traveling in Iran, I have experienced "a strange feeling" almost every day. When I have time, let's talk slowly on the official account.
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