From Best Friends to Bitter Foes: The Rise and Fall of US–Iran Relations

Today, the United States and Iran are often mentioned in the same sentence over sanctions, nuclear deals, or Middle East standoffs. But from the 1940s through the 1970s, their relationship was surprisingly warm. During World War II, they fought alongside each other. In 1953, the CIA helped topple Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and reinstated the Shah. Under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran embraced Western-style modernization and became a key American ally. By the 1960s and 70s, Tehran felt like an American suburb. Iran bought US military hardware, hosted Hollywood movies, and sent elites’ children to study in California and New York. Yet domestic dissent grew as the Shah’s secret police cracked down on critics. In 1979, the Islamic Revolution overturned the Shah’s rule. Revolutionary students seized the US embassy and held 52 hostages for 444 days. Diplomatic ties were cut, and decades of mistrust began. Occasional thaw attempts, like the 2015 nuclear deal, have yet to restore mutual trust.

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