IRAN: A photo of a bearded young Iranian revolutionary walking with a blindfolded American hostage during the American embassy siege in 1979 has convulsed the media both here and in the US.
And the burning question being asked is: is this man Iran's new president-elect, hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?
While it is true that Mr Ahmadinejad can still proudly claim the same hirsute look of full beard and mop of side-parted hair, in the photo he appears the same height as his captive and co-captors.
Unless this coincidentally happens to be a particularly diminutive band of men - Mr Ahmadinejad must surely be Iran's shortest president - this cannot be him.
Although Mr Ahmadinejad's biography on his personal website claims he was a founding member of the radical student group that took over the embassy, it is unlikely that he was actually involved in the siege. There have been a flurry of denials from close friends and aides, who say he was opposed to the siege.
Dissident journalist Abbas Abdi - fresh out of jail for publishing a poll claiming that most Iranians wanted ties with America - was the leader of the students who stormed the American embassy in October 1979 and claims that Mr Ahmadinejad did not take part.
"We held the hostages for over a year, a lot of people came and went, but Ahmadinejad was not part of the siege," he told The Irish Times.
Another former ringleader and recent reformist parliamentarian Mohsen Mirdamadi has also claimed Mr Ahmadinejad was not part of the hostage crisis.
The hostage-takers are now mostly reformists whose views contrast sharply with the hardline ideological right-wing views of Mr Ahmadinejad.
All three men have since become reformists who have sometimes been imprisoned for their beliefs.
Their views contrast sharply with those of Mr Ahmadinejad, and Iranian analysts say there is little reason that such a role would not already have been well known.
Memories of the former captives appear conflicting. While several of them have said they recognise Mr Ahmadinejad as a captor, others have said they do not.
The White House has reacted by saying it is investigating whether Mr Ahmadinejad played a role in the seizing of the American embassy, and President Bush said the allegations "raised many questions".
In his first press conference since being elected president, Mr Ahmadinejad said Iran had no need for ties with America, amid escalating tension as Washington seeks an end to Iran's nuclear programme. However, he did say that Iran was willing to continue nuclear negotiations with Europe.
Mr Ahmadinejad's supporters are looking to him to revive the waning zeal of the revolution that overthrew the Shah. His critics, however, fear his revolutionary fervour will mean a new era of Islamic fundamentalism.