The transformation of Iran into one of the United States' primary geopolitical adversaries is a story rooted in a series of pivotal historical events, mutual grievances, and escalating confrontations. What began as a period of alliance during the Cold War deteriorated into deep enmity after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, fueled by interventions, revolutions, proxy conflicts, nuclear ambitions, and direct military actions. This trajectory has repeatedly brought the two nations to the brink of open war, including recent escalations in the mid-2020s that have raised serious risks of a broader conflict.
The 1953 Coup: Seeds of Distrust
US-Iran relations were once cooperative. In the early 20th century and during World War II, ties were positive. The turning point came in 1953, when the US (via the CIA) and Britain orchestrated Operation Ajax, a coup that overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. Mosaddegh had nationalized the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (now BP), threatening Western oil interests and raising fears of Soviet influence amid Cold War tensions.
The coup reinstated Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as an absolute monarch, who received extensive US military and economic support. The US also helped establish SAVAK, the Shah's notorious secret police. While this secured short-term Western access to Iranian oil and a strategic ally against communism, it bred long-term resentment among Iranians who viewed the US as an imperialist power meddling in their sovereignty. This event is widely seen as planting the "deeply anti-American character" of later Iranian politics.
The 1979 Islamic Revolution and Hostage Crisis
Tensions exploded in 1979 with the Iranian Revolution. Mass protests against the Shah's authoritarian rule, corruption, and Westernization forced him into exile in January. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile to establish an Islamic Republic.
The US decision to admit the ailing Shah for cancer treatment in October 1979 triggered outrage. On November 4, radical students seized the US Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage for 444 days (until January 1981). This Iran Hostage Crisis humiliated the US, contributed to President Jimmy Carter's electoral defeat, and led Washington to sever diplomatic ties and impose sanctions. Formal relations have never been restored.
The 1980s: Iran-Iraq War and Direct Clashes
In 1980, Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Iran, sparking an eight-year war. The US tilted toward Iraq, providing intelligence, economic aid, and allowing arms sales, viewing revolutionary Iran as a greater threat. This deepened Iranian perceptions of US hostility.
Direct confrontations occurred, including the 1988 downing of Iran Air Flight 655 by a US warship in the Persian Gulf, killing 290 civilians (including 66 children). The US called it an accident; Iran saw it as deliberate aggression.
Post-Cold War: Sanctions, "Axis of Evil," and Nuclear Tensions
The 1990s saw expanded US sanctions under President Bill Clinton, citing Iran's alleged support for terrorism and opposition to the Arab-Israeli peace process. In 2002, President George W. Bush labeled Iran part of the "Axis of Evil" alongside Iraq and North Korea, despite Iran's post-9/11 cooperation against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Iran's nuclear program—originally supported by the US under the Shah in the 1950s-1970s via "Atoms for Peace"—became a flashpoint in the 2000s. Accusations of weaponization led to UN sanctions and US unilateral measures.
A brief thaw came with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) under President Barack Obama, limiting Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. However, President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, reimposing "maximum pressure" sanctions that crippled Iran's economy.
Escalation to Direct Confrontations (2020 Onward)
In January 2020, the US assassinated Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, in a drone strike in Baghdad. Iran retaliated with missile attacks on US bases in Iraq, injuring dozens of troops but avoiding fatalities.
Tensions persisted through proxy conflicts involving Iranian-backed groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. By 2025, a brief but intense "Twelve-Day War" erupted involving US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, followed by a fragile ceasefire.
As of early 2026, relations have deteriorated further amid Iran's internal protests (with reports of severe crackdowns), economic collapse, and stalled nuclear talks. The US has deployed massive military assets to the region—the largest since 2003—while threatening strikes if Iran does not concede on uranium enrichment, ballistic missiles, and proxy support. Iran has declared readiness for war, warning of regional escalation. Analysts describe the risk of direct US-Iran conflict as exceptionally high, potentially involving cyberattacks, maritime disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, proxy attacks, or airstrikes—though both sides have historically preferred calibrated responses to avoid all-out war.
Why Iran Became the "Great Enemy"
The enmity stems from:
- Perceived US interference in Iranian sovereignty (1953 coup, support for the Shah).
- Revolutionary Iran's anti-Western ideology and "Death to America" rhetoric.
- US support for Iran's adversaries (Iraq in the 1980s, Israel and Gulf states today).
- Iran's regional influence via proxies, seen by the US as terrorism sponsorship.
- The nuclear standoff, where Iran views its program as a deterrent against regime change.
This history has created a cycle of mistrust, sanctions, and shadow conflicts. While diplomacy has occasionally paused escalation (e.g., JCPOA), recent buildups and threats suggest the path to a new war remains perilously open, with profound implications for global energy, security, and stability.
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