Iran–United States relations after 1979
Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been embroiled in tense relations with the U.S. and its allies.[1][2] Following the hostage crisis, both countries severed relations.[3] Since then, both countries have been involved in numerous direct confrontations, diplomatic incidents, and proxy wars throughout the Middle East, which has caused the tense nature of the relationship between the two to be called an 'international crisis'. Both countries have often accused each other of breaking international law on several occasions. The U.S. has often accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism and of illegally maintaining a nuclear program, as well as using strong rhetoric against Israel, of which Iran has questioned its legitimacy and its right to exist while supporting Hamas, an antizionist terrorist group in the Gaza Strip.[4][5][6][7] Meanwhile, Iran has often accused the U.S. of human rights violations and of meddling in their affairs, especially within the Iranian Democracy Movement.[8][9][10]
Main article: Iran–United States relations
Both countries have been in conflicts in Syria,[11][12][13] Iraq,[14][15] Yemen,[16][17][18][19] and Afghanistan,[20][21][22] supporting opposite sides and conducting operations against each other. Both countries have also to the brink of war in situations as in the Tanker War[23] and the Persian Gulf Crisis,[24] both of which exacerbated tensions between the two. This has caused the United States and Israel to refuse to exclude the use of force to stop Iran, although they have always stressed that they consider the use of force as a last resort.[25][26]
As a result of tensions the United States has taken the opportunity to broker negotiations and alliances between Israel and Arab States, some of which have viewed Iran with antagonistic ambitions.[27][28] These countries have similar views to Iran and have often cooperated with each other to achieve their goals.
History of proxy warfare[edit]
The United States and Iran have used proxy warfare throughout the Middle East and the Arab World since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
The first instance of proxy warfare came during the Iran–Iraq War, when Iraq used American support to fight the war.[158][159][160] However, American views toward Iraq were not enthusiastically supportive in its conflict with Iran, and activity in assistance was largely to prevent an Iranian victory. This was encapsulated by Henry Kissinger when he remarked, "It's a pity they both can't lose."[161][162]
In February 1982, Iraq was removed from the State Department's list of State Sponsors of Terrorism to ease the transfer of dual-use technology to that country. According to investigative journalist Alan Friedman, Haig was "upset at the fact that the decision had been made at the White House, even though the State Department was responsible for the list." "I was not consulted," Haig is said to have complained. In March, President Reagan signed National Security Study Memorandum (NSSM) 4-82—seeking "a review of U.S. policy toward the Middle East"—and in June Reagan signed a National Security Decision Directive (NSDD) co-written by Teicher, who was now at the NSC, which determined: "The United States could not afford to allow Iraq to lose the war to Iran."Pursuant to this Directive, Thomas Twetten arrived in Baghdad on July 27 to share CIA satellite imagery on Iranian troop movements with the Iraqi Mukhabarat. This was "the first U.S. provision of intelligence to Iraq," and sparked a short-lived debate over whether Iraq would tolerate a CIA presence in the country: Mukhabarat head Barzan Tikriti told Twetten to "get the hell out of Iraq," but Iraqi military intelligence—"having already drooled over it and having said repeatedly how valuable it was"—subsequently informed Twetten "we'll continue to look at your information, and we'll assess whether it is of use to us in any way." Reports of Iraq's use of chemical weapons against Iran reached the CIA as early as 1983, but the U.S. took no action to restrain Iraq's violations of international law, failing even to alert the UN.[163] By November 1983, the State Department had been briefed on Iraq's "almost daily use of [chemical weapons]". In late 1983, Ronald Reagan selected Donald Rumsfeld as his envoy to the Middle East; Rumsfeld met Saddam in Baghdad in December 1983 and March 1984. "On November 26, 1984, Iraq and the U.S. restored diplomatic relations." The U.S. reportedly sought to normalize relations with Iraq in late 1983, but Saddam did not agree until 1984. The United States has also backed the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, a group that had actively participated against Khomeini's government in Iran.[164][165][166]
During the deployment of American troops in Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War as part of the Multinational Force in Lebanon, Hezbollah, under the umbrella Islamic Jihad Organization, carried out attacks against American and Israeli troops in Lebanon with Iranian support, including the 1983 United States embassy bombing in Beirut and the Beirut barracks bombing. The U.S. maintains that the bombings were carried out with Iranian support.[167][168]
In the aftermath of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Iran supported Shi'ite insurgent groups dubbed the Special Groups in Iraq, which were made up by the Mahdi army, Kata'ib Hezbollah, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, and the Promised Day Brigade. The U.S. used the Iraqi government to fight these insurgents as a result.[169][170][171][172]
Iran and the United States engaged once again in proxy warfare during the Arab Spring, mainly in Syria following an uprising against pro-Iranian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Iran sought its proxy forces to support and aid Assad's government, seeing it as crucial for its interests.[173][174] Meanwhile, the U.S., Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia supported the uprising, with the latter three funding revolutionary groups.[175][176][177] Following the escalation of the conflict into civil war, the conflict became subsumed into a proxy war between Russia and the United States, with Russia largely supporting Iranian efforts in Syria to contain rebels.[178][179][180] Iran, Russia, and Syria, alongside Hezbollah and Iraq, formed a military coalition, of which was viewed by the U.S. as an attempt by said countries to antagonize the West.
Iran and the U.S. also engaged in proxy warfare in Yemen, where the U.S. supported the Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen.[181][182] The U.S. officially intervened in October 2016 after the Houthis attacked a United States Navy ship.[183][184] Iran has supported the rebel Houthis,[185] while the Saudi coalition supported the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.
While not confirmed, the U.S. maintains that Iran supported the Taliban during the War in Afghanistan,[186] and also assessed that Iran paid bounties to the Taliban splinter group known as the Haqqani network.[187][188]
Proxy warfare between the two intensified throughout the 2020s, after Iran began backing Russia with weaponry amidst the latter's invasion of Ukraine,[189][190][191][192][193] which has led to Ukrainian condemnation. The United States has provided aid for Ukraine on the other hand. During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, both Iran and the United States supported opposite sides, with Iran allegedly helping plan the Hamas incursion into Israel while the U.S. has backed Israel.[5][6][7]