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Even before the Shah's unexpected move, there seemed to be some evidence that Tehran might be modifying its insistence on not freeing the captives unless the U.S. turned him over. Foreign Minister Ghotbzadeh backed away from his announcement of a few days earlier that trials of the hostages were imminent. Instead, he said, Iran would convene an international "grand jury" to expose alleged U.S. involvement in the corrupt rule of the Shah. A day later, Khomeini made Ghotbzadeh's announcement official. In a broadcast from Qum, the Ayatullah declared that the grand jury would consist of reputable Iranian and international lawyers and would "look into the crimes of the Shah" and the "aggressor policies" of the U.S. in Iran. Precisely what Khomeini has in mind was left unexplained. National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski has warned that if the tribunal turns out to be "a hostile propaganda spectacular directed at the United States, [it would] not be a helpful step."
Nonetheless, the announcement was regarded by Western diplomats in Iran as a sign that the Khomeini government might be looking for a way to compromise on the hostages. The Shah's exit from the U.S. could, of course, increase the chances for such a compromise. Reported TIME Middle East Bureau Chief Bruce van Voorst: "For weeks, the Revolutionary Council has been debating its policy on the hostages at secret meetings around a large rectangular table in a squash-court-size chamber in the Senate building in Tehran. The room's walls are bare, except for a large photograph of Ayatullah Khomeini. He never appears at council meetings, but he nonetheless dominates the group, and whatever steps the council approves are subject to his veto." Thus, say people familiar with the government, the fact that the council decided to summon an international grand jury indicates a major change on Khomeini's part. There is now no doubt among Westerners in Iran that Iran is trying to convert the crisis from an attempt to get back the Shah to an indictment of the Shah and the U.S.