{"id":2433,"date":"2020-02-25T21:23:51","date_gmt":"2020-02-25T21:23:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/students.pingry.org\/record\/?p=2433"},"modified":"2020-03-30T20:27:37","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T20:27:37","slug":"a-complicated-history-of-u-s-iran-relations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/students.pingry.org\/record\/2020\/02\/25\/a-complicated-history-of-u-s-iran-relations\/","title":{"rendered":"A Complicated History of U.S.-Iran Relations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”]\n\t\t[et_pb_row admin_label=”row”]\n\t\t\t[et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]\n

By\u00a0Meghan\u00a0Durkin\u00a0(V)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s February 1979. The phone rings. The clock reads 3 a.m. as my grandfather holds it up to his ear. It\u2019s 11:30 a.m. in Iran, where the Shah, Mohammad Raza Pahlavi, had fled in response to insurgency a month earlier. At the time, my grandfather was working for American Bell International, an AT&T subsidiary tasked with facilitating the improvement of telephone and communication systems in Iran. However, with the overthrow of Pahlavi and the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini, AT&T\u2019s project ceased. Over the next few weeks, my grandfather, who handled insurance for the company, worked to repossess valuables left by AT&T employees, who were forced to leave their apartments in Iran following the fall of the Shah. After finding where workers had left clothing, jewelry, pets, and more, my grandfather transferred that information to employees still in Iran, in hopes of reclaiming their belongings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\tPrior to the winter of 1979, during the height of AT&T\u2019s project in Iran, U.S. relations with the country were bolstered. The pro-Western policies of Pahlavi fit American economic interests, specifically in regards to the oil industry. However, to many Iranians, the Shah\u2019s policies felt repressive and tyrannical. The \u201cWhite Revolution,\u201d a number of reforms established by Pahlavi in the early 1960s, implemented land redistribution, and the expansion of women\u2019s rights. These policies were quickly met with popular dissent, as the poor found little relief. By the end of the Shah\u2019s reign, the U.S. appeared to support a leader unpopular with his own people. Once Pahlavi fled, his favorable relations with the U.S. seemed to continue, much to the resentment of Iranians. U.S. President Jimmy Carter went so far as to allow Pahlavi into the U.S. to receive cancer treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November of 1979, in retaliation for Carter\u2019s action, Iranian students took 66 Americans hostage at the U.S Embassy in the Iranian capital of Tehran. The crisis, which lasted 344 days but ultimately ended in the safe return of the hostages, began a long history of strained relations between the U.S. and Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These historic tensions were in the spotlight this January, when President Trump ordered an airstrike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. After the strike, Trump threatened to carry out further attacks. On Twitter, he referred back to the 1979 crisis, noting that the 52 Iranian sites that had been identified as targets represented \u201cthe 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago.\u201d Many Iranians, who considered Soleimani a hero, were quick to declare revenge and violence against the U.S.  However, President Trump and his administration have continued to justify the act as a preemptive attack against a supposed plan of Soleimani to strike a U.S. embassy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over 40 years after the overthrow of the Shah and the consequent American hostage crisis, U.S.-Iran relations seem rockier than ever. Under President Obama in 2013, the countries attempted reconciliation through the Iran Nuclear Deal, which outlined that Iran would restrict their nuclear activities. In 2018, however, President Trump abandoned the plan, and the two countries have faced growing tension and subsequent violence over the past few years. Now, after Soleimani\u2019s death, there seems to be no end in sight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, the question remains: is compromise between the U.S. and Iran possible? Is an amicable relationship on the horizon, or will we continue towards aggression and animosity? To me, the two countries have grown too divisive to ever find a real compromise, and the U.S. does not have a compelling reason to concede to the Iranian government. When President George W. Bush coined Iran one-third of the \u201caxis of evil,\u201d it was clear the United States viewed the country\u2019s regime as radical and dangerous; the government has been accused of supporting terrorism and seeking to bolster weapons of mass destruction. Thus, our government doesn\u2019t owe the Iranian government diplomacy, but it does have a responsibility to support the Iranian people. As a result of economic sanctions placed on Iran in 2018, its people have faced an economic recession, rising prices, and stagnant economic growth. As innocent people suffer, the U.S. government seeks to break a regime, without thinking of the consequences for the average citizen. So, while I believe I will never see a time like my grandfather\u2019s, where the United States and Iran came together for economic gain, I do believe it\u2019s possible for our government to protect itself against Iranian threats while still treating the Iranian people humanely.
<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column]\n\t\t[\/et_pb_row]\n\t[\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Meghan\u00a0Durkin\u00a0(V) It\u2019s February 1979. The phone rings. The clock reads 3 a.m. as my grandfather holds it up to his ear. It\u2019s 11:30 a.m. in Iran, where the Shah, Mohammad Raza Pahlavi, had fled in response to insurgency a month earlier. At the time, my grandfather was working for American Bell International, an AT&T subsidiary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":2780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"\n

By\u00a0Meghan\u00a0Durkin\u00a0(V)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s February 1979. The phone rings. The clock reads 3 a.m. as my grandfather holds it up to his ear. It\u2019s 11:30 a.m. in Iran, where the Shah, Mohammad Raza Pahlavi, had fled in response to insurgency a month earlier. At the time, my grandfather was working for American Bell International, an AT&T subsidiary tasked with facilitating the improvement of telephone and communication systems in Iran. However, with the overthrow of Pahlavi and the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini, AT&T\u2019s project ceased. Over the next few weeks, my grandfather, who handled insurance for the company, worked to repossess valuables left by AT&T employees, who were forced to leave their apartments in Iran following the fall of the Shah. After finding where workers had left clothing, jewelry, pets, and more, my grandfather transferred that information to employees still in Iran, in hopes of reclaiming their belongings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\tPrior to the winter of 1979, during the height of AT&T\u2019s project in Iran, U.S. relations with the country were bolstered. The pro-Western policies of Pahlavi fit American economic interests, specifically in regards to the oil industry. However, to many Iranians, the Shah\u2019s policies felt repressive and tyrannical. The \u201cWhite Revolution,\u201d a number of reforms established by Pahlavi in the early 1960s, implemented land redistribution, and the expansion of women\u2019s rights. These policies were quickly met with popular dissent, as the poor found little relief. By the end of the Shah\u2019s reign, the U.S. appeared to support a leader unpopular with his own people. Once Pahlavi fled, his favorable relations with the U.S. seemed to continue, much to the resentment of Iranians. U.S. President Jimmy Carter went so far as to allow Pahlavi into the U.S. to receive cancer treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November of 1979, in retaliation for Carter\u2019s action, Iranian students took 66 Americans hostage at the U.S Embassy in the Iranian capital of Tehran. The crisis, which lasted 344 days but ultimately ended in the safe return of the hostages, began a long history of strained relations between the U.S. and Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These historic tensions were in the spotlight this January, when President Trump ordered an airstrike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. After the strike, Trump threatened to carry out further attacks. On Twitter, he referred back to the 1979 crisis, noting that the 52 Iranian sites that had been identified as targets represented \u201cthe 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago.\u201d Many Iranians, who considered Soleimani a hero, were quick to declare revenge and violence against the U.S.  However, President Trump and his administration have continued to justify the act as a preemptive attack against a supposed plan of Soleimani to strike a U.S. embassy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over 40 years after the overthrow of the Shah and the consequent American hostage crisis, U.S.-Iran relations seem rockier than ever. Under President Obama in 2013, the countries attempted reconciliation through the Iran Nuclear Deal, which outlined that Iran would restrict their nuclear activities. In 2018, however, President Trump abandoned the plan, and the two countries have faced growing tension and subsequent violence over the past few years. Now, after Soleimani\u2019s death, there seems to be no end in sight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, the question remains: is compromise between the U.S. and Iran possible? Is an amicable relationship on the horizon, or will we continue towards aggression and animosity? To me, the two countries have grown too divisive to ever find a real compromise, and the U.S. does not have a compelling reason to concede to the Iranian government. When President George W. Bush coined Iran one-third of the \u201caxis of evil,\u201d it was clear the United States viewed the country\u2019s regime as radical and dangerous; the government has been accused of supporting terrorism and seeking to bolster weapons of mass destruction. Thus, our government doesn\u2019t owe the Iranian government diplomacy, but it does have a responsibility to support the Iranian people. As a result of economic sanctions placed on Iran in 2018, its people have faced an economic recession, rising prices, and stagnant economic growth. As innocent people suffer, the U.S. government seeks to break a regime, without thinking of the consequences for the average citizen. So, while I believe I will never see a time like my grandfather\u2019s, where the United States and Iran came together for economic gain, I do believe it\u2019s possible for our government to protect itself against Iranian threats while still treating the Iranian people humanely.
<\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[65,217,11],"tags":[14,12,13],"class_list":["post-2433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial","category-meghan","category-opinion","tag-editorial","tag-op-ed","tag-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.pingry.org\/record\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.pingry.org\/record\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.pingry.org\/record\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.pingry.org\/record\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.pingry.org\/record\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2433"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/students.pingry.org\/record\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2781,"href":"https:\/\/students.pingry.org\/record\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433\/revisions\/2781"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.pingry.org\/record\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.pingry.org\/record\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.pingry.org\/record\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.pingry.org\/record\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}