Had he taken military action during the Iran hostage crisis, former President Jimmy Carter believes he would have been re-elected for a second term.
Carter, the 39th United States president, is now a globally known humanitarian, but this staunch belief in peace is what many believe cost him his presidency in 1980.
“I think I would have been re-elected easily if I had been able to rescue our hostages from the Iranians,” Carter told CNBC’s Tania Bryer regarding the 1979 takeover of the American embassy in Iran.
“I could have wiped Iran off the map with the weapons that we had,” Carter said when discussing how he went against everyone’s advice to take more action during the hostage crisis.
“I stood up against all that advice […] I think I made the right decision,” he said.
Carter also said he hopes Americans have realized now that he made the right decision during the crisis. “But there’s still a strong inclination in our country to take military action, when I think it’s not necessary,” he said.
The 52 American hostages were held for 444 days before being released minutes after newly elected president Ronald Reagan was sworn into office.
