1975, Mottahedeh writes, many Iranians believed that all 85,000 Americans assisting the Shah's army and economic development had "some standing that made them a community not fully subject to Iranian law."
Khomeini's anti-Americanism intensified in exile. Since the Shah's overthrow it has shaped Iran's treatment of U.S. citizens. In May 1979, all special American privileges were revoked the Revolutionary Council. But US. diplomats still enjoyed immunity. Last October 28, Khomeini told...