Only Americans Left Behind: Iran’s Illegal Use of Hostages as Political Pawns to Advance Their Foreign Policy

Authors

Ava Namazi, University of San Diego School of Law

Library of Congress Authority File

http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79122466.html

Document Type

Comment

Abstract

The Islamic Republic of Iran has emerged as one of the most prominent contemporary practitioners of hostage diplomacy—a strategy rooted in the 1979 Hostage Crisis and sustained through recurring detentions of foreign nationals on fabricated security charges. The government uses innocent foreign nationals as political pawns to coerce Western states, including the United States, to release frozen Iranian assets held abroad. This Comment situates Iran’s use of hostage diplomacy within its post-revolutionary foreign policy, examining how the collapse of the Pahlavi dynasty contributed to this tactic. Additionally, this Comment will analyze the current international legal frameworks governing hostage diplomacy and whether the enforcement mechanisms of such frameworks have proved effective.

Recommended Citation

Ava Namazi, Only Americans Left Behind: Iran’s Illegal Use of Hostages as Political Pawns to Advance Their Foreign Policy, 27 San Diego Int'l L.J. 109 (2025)
Available at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/ilj/vol27/iss1/3