The immediate trigger of the change was the Iran hostage crisis of 1979-1981, which began with the seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran by radical Islamic students (and others) contrary to International Law. On April 24, 1980, a military rescue operation was launched, Operation Eagle Claw, authorized by President Jimmy Carter, which never arrived in Tehran, but ended in the desert, with some accidental loss of life. The expedition was troubled by poor planning, bad communications, and bad luck. It did not have enough momentum to carry through. The failure ended the careers of the officers in charge, but the consequences reached much further.