Guests of the Ayatollah: The First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam is a non-fiction work written by Mark Bowden.

Guests of the Ayatollah: The First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam

First edition
Author	Mark Bowden
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	War Historical non-fiction
Publisher	Atlantic Monthly Press
Publication date	April 25, 2006
Media type	Hardcover
ISBN	0871139251
OCLC	62738726

Guests of the Ayatollah relates the events surrounding the Iran hostage crisis of November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981 at the United States embassy in Tehran, Iran. The book explores the causes of the hostage-taking (mostly from the American perspective), commenting on the events which took place in the embassy. The book also describes the aftermath of the hostages' release following the onset of the Iran–Iraq War in September 1980.

The book was made into a Discovery Times Channel special. Bowden's son, Aaron Bowden, was the head writer on the TV project produced by Wild Eyes Productions. The television program first aired on June 26, 2006. There are four parts to the documentary: Takeover, Captivity, Rescue Mission and Endgame.

Bowden has signed an agreement with Paramount studios and producer Scott Rudin to allow a film adaptation of the book.