Relations Between Iran and US

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In 1979, protests erupted across the nation against the government of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. This was triggered by the domination of foreign policy, the exploitation of Iran’s resources and wealth by foreign firms, corruption and oppressive regime. The Shah’s government’s close ties with the United States and Israel, his oppressive methods and his program of Westernization were unpopular with the Iranian people. They therefore turned to the ‘ulama as an alternative. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in exile in Paris, distributed cassette tapes of his speeches to many of the partakers in the protests. The protests were eventually included under the umbrella of Shiite Islam. The Shah was eventually overthrown and sent to exile. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran from exile. On April 1st 1979, Iran became an Islamic Republic by national referendum. In November of the same year, the infamous hostage crisis took place, wherein students stormed the United States embassy in Tehran and captured 60 US citizens in return for the extradition of the Shah who was in the United States receiving medical treatment. This incident resulted in a case at the International Court of Justice and the severing of diplomatic ties between the two states.

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy differed greatly from that of the Shah. It is propelled by two main ideologies. First, was the idea of “Neither East nor West, but the Islamic Republic,” which resulted in the complete elimination of any US influence within Iran. The second was the export of the revolution. The Iranian leaders sought to spread its influence within the Muslim world and rid them of their oppressive leaders as well as foreign influence.

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“US-Iran Relations.” Pars Times. Pars Times, n.d. Web. 03 May 2014.

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“Who are Hezbollah?” BBC News. BBC News, 4 Jul. 2010. Web. 5 May 2014.

Wilner, Michael. “Iran will continue nuclear talks with West despite tightened US sanctions, Zarif says.” The Jerusalem Post. The Jerusalem Post, 15 Dec. 2013. Web. 5 May 2014.

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