On this day January 19 1981, the United States and Iran signed the Algiers Accords, a set of diplomatic agreements that laid the groundwork for the release of the 52 American hostages who had been held in Tehran for more than 14 months during the Iran hostage crisis. The accords were mediated by the government of Algeria and included terms for resolving financial disputes and ending legal claims related to the embassy seizure.
Although the hostages were not freed until the following day...
