Iran Press / Iran News: It happened after the US helicopters involved in Operation Eagle Claw in central Iran back in 1980 were hit by a sandstorm and crashed.
The spokesman of the Iranian Armed Forces, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi spoke at a ceremony on the occasion of the anniversary of the failed US military operation in Tabas desert, Iran Press reported.
On April 25, 1980, the United States launched a covert military operation, known as Operation Eagle Claw, in an attempt to airlift the US embassy staff held in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
However, a sandstorm hit and brought down the group of US military aircraft in the Tabas Desert, killing eight American servicemen and resulting in the failure of the mission. Inspections showed a helicopter crashed into a C-130 Hercules transport plane as five other choppers were stranded in the storm.
The units involved in the operation were from the US Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps.
The Tabas incident occurred during the administration of former US President Jimmy Carter, and many believe it played a major role in Carter’s defeat in the 1980 presidential election in the US.
Iran commemorates the event every year as a symbol of the failure of US plots against the Islamic Republic.
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