Doyle McManus: Hello Donald? This is the Ayatollah calling

Iran's Islamic revolutionaries can be a prickly bunch.

I learned that the hard way in 1980, when as a young reporter I was arrested by Revolutionary Guards in Isfahan for trying to find the 52 Americans who had been taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy the year before.

"You're a spy," my interrogator barked. "I'm a journalist," I replied with as much confidence as I could find. He didn't seem to think there was a difference.

After four hours, he got a telephone call. "You're free to go," he growled at me.