A Friendship Older Than You Think: The Complete History of US-Iran Relations
1834-1900: The Era of Friendship
The First Americans in Persia
In 1834, Presbyterian missionary Justin Perkins became the first American citizen to reside in Iran, establishing a mission in Urmia. American missionaries would build 117 schools around Urmia by 1895, plus hospitals, colleges, and printing presses.
The 1856 Treaty of Friendship and Commerce
One of the earliest formal bilateral agreements between the two nations. During this era, Iranians saw America as a sympathetic, disinterested power — unlike imperial Britain and Russia who were carving Iran into spheres of influence.
American Institutions in Iran
- Alborz College, Tehran (from 1873): Grew from a grade school to an accredited liberal arts college. Led by Dr. Samuel Martin Jordan — Jordan Street in Tehran is still named after him. Notable alumni include Lotfi Zadeh (inventor of fuzzy logic at UC Berkeley).
- Westminster Hospital, Urmia (1882): Founded by Dr. Joseph Plumb Cochran, who also established Iran’s first modern medical school. When Cochran died of typhoid in 1905, over 10,000 people attended his funeral — a testament to Iranian love for this American physician.
- Additional hospitals in Kermanshah (1882), Tehran (1890), Tabriz (1913)
1905-1911: Americans Who Fought for Iranian Democracy
Howard Baskerville: “The American Lafayette of Iran”
A Princeton graduate who traveled to Tabriz to teach at the American Memorial School. When Iran’s Constitutional Revolution erupted, he saw a parallel to the American Revolution and joined the constitutionalists defending Tabriz against royalist siege.
The US Consul tried to stop him. Baskerville refused. On April 19, 1909, he was killed by a sniper’s bullet at age 24. A statue of him stands in the Constitutional House of Tabriz. He remains beloved in Iranian memory.
Morgan Shuster: Defender of Persian Sovereignty
In 1911, President Taft recommended Shuster as Treasurer-General of Persia. He fought corruption, reformed taxes, and built a 12,000-member gendarmerie. His reforms alarmed Britain and Russia, who issued an ultimatum threatening military invasion. Iran was forced to expel him.
He returned to America and wrote “The Strangling of Persia” (1912) — a scathing indictment of British and Russian imperialism that remains a classic of Iranian political literature.
Arthur Millspaugh (1922-1927)
American financial administrator who found the Persian treasury empty and created a unified national budget, centralized customs, and reduced debt — enabling infrastructure projects like the Trans-Iranian Railway.
1941-1946: World War II
The Persian Corridor
Iran became one of the most critical supply routes of WWII. Of the 17.5 million long tons of US Lend-Lease aid to the Soviets, 7.9 million tons (45%) went through Iran — the single largest supply route.
The Tehran Conference (1943)
Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met at the Soviet Embassy in Tehran — the first “Big Three” meeting. They committed to D-Day and discussed the postwar world. Iran’s territory was used by the great powers without Iran being a party to the decisions.
The First Cold War Crisis (1946)
When the Soviet Union refused to withdraw from northern Iran after WWII, it became the first international crisis referred to the UN Security Council. Under intense American diplomatic pressure, Stalin ordered withdrawal. This helped set the tone for the entire Cold War.
1950-1953: The Point Four Program and the Coup
Point Four
President Truman’s technical assistance program — Iran was the first country to sign (October 19, 1950). American know-how in agriculture, industry, and health poured into Iran.
Mohammad Mossadegh and Oil Nationalization
In 1951, Prime Minister Mossadegh nationalized Iran’s oil industry, controlled by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (later BP) under exploitative terms. Britain imposed an embargo and began covert destabilization.
Operation Ajax (August 19, 1953)
Unable to topple Mossadegh alone, Britain persuaded the CIA to join by playing on Cold War fears. Through bribery, propaganda, and orchestrated riots, Mossadegh was overthrown. Approximately 300 people died. Mossadegh was sentenced to house arrest for life.
The Shah returned to power and signed over 40% of Iran’s oil fields to US companies as thanks.
Official US Acknowledgments:
- Madeleine Albright (2000): “The United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow… the coup was clearly a setback for Iran’s political development.”
- Barack Obama (2009): “The United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian government.”
- CIA (2017): Finally declassified documents acknowledging its role.
The 1953 coup transformed America from beloved friend to imperial power in Iranian eyes. It sowed the seeds for 1979.
1953-1979: The Alliance Years
The Special Relationship
Iran became one of America’s closest Cold War allies. Under Nixon’s “Twin Pillars” policy, the Shah was permitted to order virtually any weapons — including 80 F-14 Tomcats ($2 billion), the most advanced fighter in the US arsenal.
The American Presence
- 50,000 Americans living and working in Iran
- 25,000 American technicians maintaining military equipment
- 50+ American universities with campuses or partnerships in Iran
- Three top Iranian universities modeled on University of Chicago, MIT, and University of Pennsylvania
- Bilateral trade: ~$3 billion/year
- Phone calls between US and Iran increased 1,600% between 1973-1978
The Dark Side: SAVAK
The Shah’s secret police was established in 1957 under American supervision, modeled on the CIA and FBI. It employed 30,000 Iranians, 5,000 involved in torturing and killing thousands of opponents.
1979-1981: The Revolution and Hostage Crisis
444 Days
On November 4, 1979, students stormed the US Embassy in Tehran. 52 Americans held for 444 days. The failed rescue attempt (Operation Eagle Claw) killed 8 US servicemen. The crisis seared Iran into American consciousness as an enemy, overwhelming decades of friendship.
The hostages were released on January 20, 1981 — minutes after Reagan’s inauguration, deliberately humiliating Carter.
1981-2001: The Hostile Years
US Support for Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War
The CIA provided Iraq with satellite imagery and intelligence, fully aware Iraq would use chemical weapons including sarin and mustard gas. The US and West Germany sold Iraq dual-use chemicals.
Iran Air Flight 655 (July 3, 1988)
The USS Vincennes shot down a civilian Airbus killing all 290 on board. The plane was in Iranian airspace, ascending (not descending like a fighter). The US paid $131.8 million in compensation but has never formally apologized. This remains deeply embedded in Iranian memory.
Iran-Contra Affair
The Reagan administration simultaneously supported Iraq against Iran while secretly selling arms to Iran and diverting profits to Nicaraguan Contra rebels.
2001-2012: Missed Opportunities
Iran’s Cooperation After 9/11
Iran — which despised the Taliban — provided significant cooperation: helped US forces in Afghanistan, was critical to creating the Karzai government, deported hundreds of al-Qaeda fighters, allowed US penetration of Iranian airspace.
The “Axis of Evil” Speech (January 2002)
At the very moment of cooperation, Bush labeled Iran part of the “Axis of Evil.” This empowered Iranian hardliners against reformists who had been arguing for engagement with the West.
The 2003 Grand Bargain
Iran sent a comprehensive peace proposal offering: full nuclear cooperation, acceptance of Israel, termination of support for militants. The Bush administration rejected it outright, convinced the regime was about to collapse after Baghdad fell. One of the great “what ifs” of modern diplomacy.
The Green Movement (2009)
Up to 3 million protesters in Tehran after the disputed election. Some shouted: “Obama, you are either with us — or with them.” Obama adopted a cautious response, afraid of making the movement seem like a US tool. He later admitted this was “a mistake.”
2015-2020: The JCPOA and Its Destruction
The Nuclear Deal (2015)
Iran reduced enriched uranium stockpile by 97%, limited enrichment to 3.67%, accepted extensive IAEA inspections. Sanctions lifted in exchange.
Trump’s Withdrawal (May 2018)
Despite verified Iranian compliance, Trump unilaterally withdrew and reimposed sanctions. Iran began incrementally violating the deal since the US had already abandoned it.
Soleimani Assassination (January 2020)
Trump ordered a drone strike killing General Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad Airport. Iran retaliated with missiles at Al Asad air base, injuring 100 US troops. In the chaos, Iran accidentally shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, killing all 176 aboard.
2025-2026: The Current Crisis
- February 2025: Trump reinstates maximum pressure, gives Iran 10-day deadline
- June 2025: US strikes Fordow, Natanz, Isfahan nuclear sites (Operation Midnight Hammer)
- October 2025: Iran officially ends the JCPOA
- February 28, 2026: Operations Roaring Lion/Epic Fury — coordinated US-Israeli strikes
- March 1, 2026: Khamenei killed. Interim Leadership Council formed.
- Ongoing: ~200 targets struck, Iran’s navy devastated, Strait of Hormuz disrupted
The Tragedy
For over a century — from 1834 to 1953 — America was seen by Iranians as a uniquely benevolent friend. American missionaries built schools and hospitals. American teachers died for Iranian democracy. American advisors fought to protect Iranian sovereignty.
The hostility since 1979 is fundamentally a conflict between governments, not peoples. The Green Movement protesters, the Woman Life Freedom marchers, the young Iranians on Instagram and TikTok — they are expressing values Americans and Iranians share.
The question now, as Iran faces its most profound crisis in 47 years, is whether that common ground can become the foundation for something new.
Sources: Office of the Historian, Brookings, Atlantic Council, Washington Post, NPR, PBS Frontline, CFR, Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Iranica