The roots of the contradictions and conflicts between the United States and Iran can be traced back to 1953, when the United States and Britain orchestrated a coup d'état to overthrow Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and restore the rule of the pro-Western Pahlavi dynasty. This coup d'état enabled the United States to gain enormous political, economic, and military influence in Iran, and at the same time, it also caused the Iranian people to have deep dissatisfaction and hostility towards the United States. In 1979, the Islamic Revolution broke out in Iran, overthrowing the Pahlavi dynasty and establishing an Islamic republic with religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the supreme authority. This revolution marked the loss of American interests and influence in Iran, and also marked the rise of Iran in the Middle East. The United States tries to contain Iran's development and expansion by supporting Iran's enemies, such as Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, etc., while Iran tries to resist American interference and oppression by supporting anti-American forces such as Allah in Lebanon, Hamas in Palestine, and Shiite militias in Iraq. In this way, a hostile and confrontational relationship has been formed between the United States and Iran, which often leads to conflicts and frictions in various theaters and crises in the Middle East.
The development of contradictions and conflicts between the United States and Iran can be divided into several stages.
The first phase was from 1980 to 1988, which was the period of the Iran-Iraq war. The Iran-Iraq War refers to an eight-year border war between Iraq and Iran, one of the longest wars of the 20th century. In this war, the United States is clearly inclined to support Iraq, providing it with **, intelligence, diplomatic and economic aid, and even secretly sending *** to Iran in exchange for Iran's release of American hostages. The purpose of the United States is to hope that the two countries will reach a draw, consume each other's strength, and prevent either side from gaining victory and advantage. However, the outcome of this war is a lose-lose situation, which neither achieves the goals of the United States nor changes Iran's position, but only exacerbates tensions and instability between the two countries and the entire region.
The second period was from 1988 to 2001, which was the period after the end of the Cold War. After the end of the Cold War, relations between the United States and Iran have not improved significantly, but have become new tensions and antagonisms. During this period, the United States continued to impose economic and diplomatic sanctions and isolate Iran, accusing Iran of supporting terrorism, violating human rights, and interfering in the internal affairs of its neighbors. During this period, the United States also strengthened cooperation with allies in the Middle East, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, to contain Iran's influence and threat. During this period, Iran continued to express hostility and resistance to the United States, refusing any form of dialogue and exchange with the United States, and refusing to make any compromise and cooperation with the United States on the nuclear issue. During this period, Iran also strengthened its cooperation with Middle Eastern partners such as Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon to counter US pressure and intervention. During this period, there were no direct military conflicts between the United States and Iran, but indirect conflicts and influences often occurred on various hot issues in the Middle East. In 1996, for example, the United States imposed tougher sanctions on Iran after accusing Iran of involvement in Saudi Arabia's Kobal Tower** incident, which killed 19 U.S. soldiers. In 1998, the United States issued a stronger warning to Iran after accusing Iran of involvement in the U.S. embassy** incident in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people. In 2001, the United States expressed greater hostility toward Iran after accusing Iran of involvement in the suicide attack on the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole, which killed 17 U.S. soldiers. During this period, relations between the United States and Iran were at a low point and deadlock.
The third phase is from 2001 to 2018, which is the period of the American war on terror. On September 11, 2001, the United States suffered the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people and shocked the world. The United States then launched military operations against Afghanistan and Iraq to combat al-Qaeda and Saddam's regime, while also trying to change the political landscape in the Middle East and promote democracy and human rights. These actions of the United States have met with strong opposition and resistance from Iran, which believes that the United States is using the pretext of counter-terrorism to expand its military presence and interference in the Middle East and threaten Iran's security and interests. In Afghanistan and Iraq, Iran actively supports anti-US armed forces and engages in geopolitical and covert contests with the United States. At the same time, Iran has also accelerated the development of its nuclear program, triggering international concern and sanctions. Tensions between the United States and Iran have reached a new peak.
The fourth stage is from 2018 to the present, which is the period when the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal. In July 2015, Iran reached the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear issue after several rounds of difficult negotiations with the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany. Under the agreement, Iran pledged to limit its nuclear activities, subject to IAEA monitoring and verification, and the international community to gradually lift economic and financial sanctions against Iran. This agreement is considered an important guarantee of peace and stability in the Middle East and a successful example of multilateral diplomacy. However, in May 2018, the United States announced that the United States would unilaterally withdraw from the JCPOA and reinstate the highest level of sanctions against Iran, resulting in serious challenges to the entry into force and implementation of the agreement. This move by the United States has met with strong opposition and criticism from Iran and other signatory countries, and has also aroused strong dissatisfaction and anger in Iran. Iran then announced that it would gradually reduce some of its commitments in the agreement in order to put pressure on the international community to ask other signatories to protect Iran's legitimate rights and interests and offset the impact of US sanctions. The confrontation and game between the United States and Iran has entered a new stage.