They are attacking the embassy,” said Colonel Roeder, now 80. “That’s déjà vu.”The latest attack — on the embassy in Baghdad — came days before a United States drone strike killed a top Iranian commander, quickly escalating tensions in the region. The president’s threat thrust the hostages back into the spotlight, at a time when some say they feel that their ordeal has largely been forgotten by the American public. Of 53 hostages, which includes an additional diplomat who was released early, an estimated 18 have died. Still, their 444 days of captivity hang like a shadow in the background of their lives, returning in their dreams, when Iran surfaces in the news and in their decades-long fight for monetary compensation.

Source: New York Times January 07, 2020 01:24 UTC