In late 1979, the US was shaken by Iran's seizure of American hostages and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The latter event in particular was seen as a direct threat to Persian Gulf oil. President Carter, after a period of vacillation, used his 1980 State of the Union speech to lay out an explicit pledge to defend the Gulf by arms. His words: "An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force." His pledge was instantly dubbed "the Carter Doctrine," and it has persisted under his successors.
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