No need to correct what I said as you would be rewriting history. You are right that the Iranians did not look forward to Reagan but one would be in total denial to say that Cater had nothing to do with the release of the hostages. The Iranians were influenced by the death of the Shah, the invasion by Iraq and were being finacially starved by the economic sanctions and they could've used the $8 billion of their assets that Carter froze. If Carter had been re-elected, it's likley that the hostages would've been home just as soon (or sooner) then they did. As you said, Reagan might have attempted to take the hostages by force but it's unlikely any of them would've survived.
I hate to go against a fellow Pittsburgher, but Imnomensa is correct. Jimmy Carter did everything he could to get those hostages out, but the Iranians knew that having the hostages and using them to demonish Carter and the United States' power and influence was worth much more than the assets Carter had locked up. This was why they waited until just moments after Reagan had been sworn in and Carter was officially out of office before releasing them. That was a carefully timed operation.
I read an intel report years ago that said the main reason for timing the Revolution the way the Iranians did was due to a freak storm that hit DC. Carter was meeting with the Shah, and the initial meeting of the men was televised. One of those sudden out-of-nowhere DC thunderstorms hit, and the men had to rush into the White House. Typical day for anyone who's lived near DC, but to the Iranians it was a sign from Allah that he wanted action taken against the Americans and the Shah. Now, that's a pretty rediculous notion to most of us, but we're not religious zealots in the Third World either. The Iranians were never going to release the hostages to Carter because he gave the Shah refuge, which was a great offense to them. They wanted Carter to suffer as they suffered.
I was in the Navy back then, and I remember the joke going on during the election of "what's flat and glows? Iran on Inauguration Day." That was a joke, but one based on our belief that Reagan would attack Iran if they didn't release the hostages. If we believed that, I'm guessing the Iranians, who thought a rain storm was a sign from God, would have believed it as well.
and follow the money: "Ginsberg says Carter’s revelation fits into a pattern of mischief on the part of the former president in recent months, “probably fueled by the amount of money the Carter Center is getting from Arab sources.” "