Fariba Amini
Ambassador John
Limbert is a career foreign service official who was taken hostage by student
radicals in Iran in 1979 and held for 444 days. He emerged in Washington as a
voice of reason and dialogue on Iran. The interview has been edited regarding
the order of the anecdotes and observations.
Fariba Amini: This year will
be the 46th anniversary of the Iranian revolution. What are your thoughts? We used to say that in six months, things
will change. Well, they didn’t. What
happened and why?
John Limbert: In the summer
of 1979, six months after the revolution, often hearing the question, “When are
THEY leaving?” Events in Iran for the
last 5 decades have defied expectations.
Few expected the Shah to fall when and how he did; few expected a
revolution fueled by militant political Shi’ism; few expected that Iran would
become a theocracy with direct rule by clerics; and few expected that Iran
would go in the brutal, harsh, and authoritarian direction it did. Why?
The militant clerics and their allies who followed Khomeini’s vision had
a plan and they followed it. They took
advantage of weaknesses and divisions among their rivals. They took advantage of miscalculations by others.
Fariba Amini: You were one of
the hostages in Iran during the Revolution.
Can you tell us about your experience?
John Limbert: As the saying
goes, مثنوی
هفتاد من کاغذ دارد.. [Rumi’s long poem
the] Mathnavi had a hundred pages to write.
It’s worth noting that many of the hostage takers are now admitting that
they made a big mistake and what they did has brought enormous suffering to
their compatriots.
Fariba Amini: Khamenei [now
Iran’s clerical Leader] was a young cleric when he paid a visit to you and the
other hostages at the Embassy. He
became the Supreme Leader later. What
did you tell him during that visit?
John Limbert: Khamene’i
visited us in April 1980. My message to
him, in diplomatic language, was “You totally and royally f….ed up.” In my view I was still an accredited
diplomat, so I needed to convey that message politely. As the saying goes, you cut off heads with
cotton. I’m sure you can find a video of
the visit on the net somewhere.
Fariba Amini: In these days,
many pro-monarchists blame President Carter or the 57th niners as they are
called for the Iranian Revolution. What
are your thoughts about this allegation?
I know that we, Iranians always blame “others” for what happens in our
country. Who is to blame?
John Limbert: I believe it
was the poet Shahriyar who composed the famous line از ماست که بر ماست :
“Whatever happens it is our [own] doing.”
I don’t agree with those who blame President Carter, but I can
understand their view considering Iranians’ experience with interference by
foreign powers. President Carter was
not well served by his advisors about Iran.
One told him that Khomeini’s victory would bring democracy. Another told him that victory would bring
the communists to power.
Fariba Amini: You have always
been about dialogue with Iran. Do you
think that would be possible under a Trump administration?
John Limbert: To quote the
Athenian Alcibiades, “At some point, somebody has to trust somebody”. US-Iran relations are unfortunately a
partisan issue on both sides. It should
not be, since they involve national interests on both sides. And those interests are not served by the
prevailing hostility. There must be a
better way. Getting there is hard. Trump could do it, since he would love to
claim credit.
Fariba Amini: As a seasoned
diplomat under many administrations, do you think we will see peace in the
Middle East?
John Limbert: It’s hard to
see now under current conditions, but those conditions could change quickly and
in unexpected directions. As for
predictions, I will paraphrase the late Harvard professor J.K. Galbraith who
said that the only purpose of prediction is give astrology a good name.
Fariba Amini: What do you
think about the situation in this country?
John Limbert: Very sad. We are in for some very tough times. I am hopeful that our system is strong
enough to resist the attacks of those who would ignore what makes this country
special and impose their views on the rest of us. The good news is that the current group
provides excellent material for our comedians.
Fariba Amini: You wrote your
first book, Shiraz in the Age of Hafiz.
What prompted you to write this book?
John Limbert: The book
started as my Ph.D. thesis, which I finished in 1973. As a historian I was curious less about
Hafez’s poetry, and more about the setting (fourteenth century Shiraz) in which
he composed his amazing verses. I spent
four years in Shiraz doing the research.
A few years later my good friend Professor Richard Bulliet encouraged me
to turn it into a book and helped me find a publisher (University of Washington
Press). In 1979 I was revising the work
for publication when I had to stop work while a prisoner in Tehran. In the 1980s and 90s, I found the new
work-processing technology a great help in preparing the book. The book found its true home when the late
Homayoun Sanatizadeh prepared a superb Persian translation of the work.
Fariba Amini: You met your
wife in Iran when you were a peace corps volunteer in Iran. How was your experience during those
times. I believe you lived in Sanandaj.
John Limbert: Yes, I was
assigned as an English teacher in Sanandaj.
My wife’s family is Sanandaji, and her father was a well-respected
doctor in the city. She and I both
taught in high schools there. I don’t
think I was a great teacher, but those years were the beginning of a life-long
fascination with the Persian language and with Iranian history and
culture.
Fariba Amini: You also met
Terence O’Donnell who had lived in Iran, and I believe you used some of his
books in your classes at the Naval Academy.
You also dedicated your first book to him. Can you tell us more about
him?
John Limbert: When we first
went to Shiraz in 1968, until we found an apartment, we stayed for a few weeks
at Terry’s Garden outside the city. I
still remember spending sizdah-be-dar at that garden and sitting with
Parvaneh’s family near his fireplace while her niece sang some beautiful
Kurdish songs. In my teaching, I used
his beautiful story “The Holy Men of Isfahan” to illustrate the diversity and
the fragile balance of Iranian society.
John Limbert is
a former U.S. diplomat who joined the foreign service in 1973. He was an official at the U.S. Embassy in
Tehran in 1979. Limbert was one of the 52 hostages who were held for 444 days
at the American Embassy in Tehran by radicals. He had postings in various
Middle Eastern countries and served as Ambassador to Mauritania with postings
in various  Middle Eastern countries. In 2009, he was briefly appointed
as deputy assistant secretary of State for Iran under the Obama administration.
Limbert taught at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis before retiring. He is the author of three nonfiction books:
Iran: At War with History; Shiraz in the Age of Hafez: The Glory of a Medieval
Persian City; Negotiating with Iran: Wrestling the Ghosts of History.He has
also co-authored a novel with Mark Grossman, called Believers: Love and Death
in Tehran. He speaks fluent Persian.
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