On 12 November 1979, eight days after 66 Americans were taken hostage at the US Embassy in Tehran, President Jimmy Carter ordered a halt to all petroleum imports from Iran. The hostage-takers, students who called themselves the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, demanded that the US extradite Iran's former king Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who had been admitted for cancer treatment. They had the backing of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Fifty-two of the hostages were held until 20 January 1981.

Israeli reports also say the cabinet directed the military to prepare for a possible new attack on Iran.

Angkor, near Siem Reap in northern Cambodia, was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of mainland Southeast Asia between roughly the 9th and 15th centuries. At its height the city spread across about 3,000 square kilometres, making it the largest pre-industrial city on Earth by area. Its growth depended on water: huge reservoirs called barays, along with canals and embankments, stored monsoon rain and carried it to rice fields. That system let farmers harvest more than once a year and fed a very large population through the dry season. The temple complex of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century, is the best-known monument and still stands at the heart of the park.