When Does the U.S. Negotiate with Terrorists? Listen Download Embed Share Share this on Facebook (Opens in a new window) Share this on Twitter (Opens in a new window) Share this via Email An woman passes by a mural on the wall of the former US embassy in Tehran. Militant students stormed the U.S. embassy on November 4, 1979, and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. ( BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP / Getty ) Produced by Mythili Rao Produced by PRI and WNYC