On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students took over the United States Embassy in Tehran. The students were in support of the Iranian Revolution. Fifty-two American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for the next 444 days until they were finally freed immediately after Ronald Reagan replaced Carter as President on January 20, 1981. During the crisis, Carter never left the White House for more than 100 days. A month into the affair, Carter stated his plans to resolving the dispute without "any military action that would cause bloodshed". On April 7, 1980, Carter issued Executive Order 12205, adding economic sanctions against Iran and announced more measures by members of his cabinet and the American government that he saw necessary to make sure a safe release. On April 24, 1980, Carter ordered Operation Eagle Claw to try to free the hostages. The mission failed, leaving eight American servicemen dead and causing the destruction of two aircraft.