Algiers Accords
1981 agreements that ended the US Embassy hostage crisis in Tehran.
On 28 October 2026 an Iranian official called the terms Qatar carried "ideas, not a proposal", in US-Iran bargaining that, like the Algiers Accords of 1981, runs through a third state.
Last refreshed: 29 October 2026
Timeline for Algiers Accords
Mentioned in: Iran official calls Doha terms 'ideas'
Iran Conflict 2026Mentioned in: Iran demands guarantees before US talks
Iran Conflict 2026Mentioned in: Iran claims sole control of Hormuz
Iran Conflict 2026Mentioned in: Bessent locks Iran's funds in Qatar
Iran Conflict 2026Background
The Algiers Accords are the two declarations of 19 January 1981, mediated by Algeria, that ended the 444-day US Embassy hostage crisis in Tehran. The United States and Iran never negotiated face to face; Algeria carried the texts and held the assets and guarantees.
Under the accords 52 hostages went free and the US lifted its freeze on Iranian assets. Washington also pledged not to intervene in Iran's internal affairs, and the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal was set up.
The accords remain the model for indirect US-Iran bargaining. In 2026 Qatar and Pakistan run The Channel. In Baghdad on 17 October Iran demanded "credible guarantees" against new attacks before any talks resume. Those are the kind of third-party assurances Algeria held in the 1981 deal.
What were the Algiers Accords?
Did the US promise not to interfere in Iran?
What tribunal did the Algiers Accords create?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 29 October 2026. Editorial standards.