Examining America's Role in the Struggles of Iran
In the 20th century, the US played a significant role in shaping the political landscape of Iran. In 1953, the US and British intelligence agencies orchestrated a coup to overthrow Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, who had nationalized the country's oil industry. The coup installed a pro-Western monarch, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who ruled as an authoritarian until he was overthrown in the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The US and Iran's relations deteriorated significantly following the revolution, with the US embassy in Tehran being seized and 52 American hostages being held for over a year. The US imposed economic sanctions on Iran, which have been in place in some form ever since. In the 1980s, the US provided support to Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iranians. The US also provided weapons to Iran during the Iran-Contra scandal, in which the Reagan administration secretly sold