July 1981 - July 2, 1981 (Thursday)

July 2, 1981 (Thursday)

• Iran hostage crisis: The United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously that then-President Jimmy Carter had acted within his authority when he agreed in the Algiers Accords to release frozen Iranian assets no later than July 19, in return for the release of 52 American hostages from Iran. The decision, made only 8 days after the Court heard arguments, cleared the way for $2.3 billion to be transferred from U.S. banks to Iran. Earlier on the same day, eight of the former hostages sued Iran in federal court, seeking $5,000,000 apiece, despite a waiver of the right to sue as part of the same accords.