The nation that mediated in the Iranian hostage crisis was Algeria.
At the beginning of the Iranian-American crisis Algeria had in Tehran one of its best diplomats, Abdelkrim Gharableb, a man trained in France and well-known fundamentalist who later became the leader of the Algerian tandem of three members in charge of mediating between the two contenders.
Gharabieb was the first high-ranking Algerian official to interview the American hostages shortly after they were detained by Islamic "students".
The breakdown of diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States, by placing Algeria as the representative of Iranian interests, would give a more dense dimension to its role as intermediary.
The Iranian request for a deposit of 24,000 million dollars posed a difficult dilemma for Algeria, inasmuch as the Carter Administration refused to satisfy Tehran's requirements. The role of simple emissary, at least officially, of the Algerians had to acquire a greater magnitude.
The three Algerian intermediaries would achieve, again at the beginning of this year, that Tehran moderate its requirements and accept a formula of "arbitration", in which the financial guarantee was reduced to 9,000 million dollars. This new formulation of the American position, translated into a text that allows the two governments access to a quick solution to the crisis, has been the greatest risk run by Algeria.