Why do Iran & the U.S. Hate Each Other?

Students cannot understand the current crisis between the United States and Iran without understanding the history that brought the two countries to the precipice where they are today.

That history begins with the assassination of Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1953. Mosaddegh was elected Prime Minister in 1951 and began to nationalize the country's oil industry.  Britain and the United States overthrew Mosaddegh in 1953 and installed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as the new leader. The shah ruled Iran from 1941 until 1979 when he was driven from power and into exile by a massive revolution.

Here is an awesome  7 minute summary of the U.S. and Iranian relations from Dr. Charles Kurzman of the University of North Carolina along with a student and teacher guide.

The podcast, Throughline, has an engaging episode about the assassination of Masaddegh.

Vox has a good short video summary of the relationship between the U.S. and Iran below.

Here is a  link to an excellent powerpoint about the Middle East along with presentation notes from Lisa Adeli from the University of Arizona.

Frontline explains the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia in an episode called "Bitter Rivals."

And the New York Times has a good story about the tension between the two countries called The Tension Between America and Iran, Explained.  It examines more recent issues between the two countries such as Iran's warning to close the Persian Gulf to shipping traffic in the1980's.

The Shah was overthrown in 1979 and Ayatollah Khomeini, a religious leader in exile, came to power. During the revolution, Iranians overtook the American embassy and held American captives for almost a year. Al Jazeera has a good 45-minute review of the revolution below. And Crash Course also has a good short overview.