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From early in his career, Mr. Tarnoff developed a reputation as the consummate confidential assistant, guiding high-profile diplomats through high-profile negotiations.
A consummate man behind the scenes, he held top posts under Carter and Clinton, and in between ran the Council on Foreign Relations.
He never publicly disclosed the full details of his role in the operation, which was the basis for the 2012 Oscar-winning film.
A US diplomat, Peter Tarnoff rose to No. 3 in the State Department in the 1990s after years as a behind-the-scenes envoy, including helping to craft a plan to smuggle six State Department employees out of Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis.