What can you learn about the background to the Iranian hostage crisis?

That the more extreme Muslim Shiites did not support the pro-U. shah of Iran. It also represented Carter's ultimate failure to broker and sustain peace in the Middle East.

The correct answer to this open question is the following.

The Iranian hostage crisis was an international incident that started on November 4, 1979. Iranian students occupied the United States Embassy in the capital city of Tehran. Iranian people disagreed with the authorization of US President Jimmy Carter of allowing the deposed Sha to enter the United States for medical reasons. That was the excuse, but what really happened was that Iranian youth - led by Ayatollah Khomeini - wanted to protest for the US interference of the national issues in Iran. The hostages were freed on January 21, 1981.