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Background to Confrontation:

The U.S. & Iran: A History of Imperialist Domination, Intrigue and Intervention

For over 100 years imperialist domination of Iran has been enforced by the U.S. and other powers through covert intrigues, economic bullying, and outright military assaults, even invasions. This history is crucial to understanding the real motives for U.S. threats today—including the real threat of war, even nuclear war. 

Part 1: Iran and Imperialism's “Great Game” of Empire
Part 1 begins in the mid-19th century, with Iran a prime target of rival powers in imperialism’s “great game” for global dominance and control.
https://revcom.us/a/089/iran-en.html

Part 2: The U.S. Seizes Control in Iran: The CIA’S 1953 Coup D’etat
Part II exposes how in the aftermath of World War II, based on emerging as the dominant power in the world, the U.S. overthrew the nationalist secular government of Mohammed Mossadegh, and installed the brutal and oppressive rule of a loyal administrator— the Shah in Iran.
https://revcom.us/a/090/iran-pt2-en.html

Part 3: Iran 1953-1979: The Nightmare of U.S. Domination
Part 3 and Part 4 examine what 25 years of U.S. domination under the Shah’s reign meant for Iran and its people, and how it paved the way for the 1979 revolution and the founding of the Islamic Republic.
https://revcom.us/a/092/iran-pt3-en.html

Part 4: Iran in the 1970s: Oil Boom, Breakneck Development, Seething Discontent
https://revcom.us/en/us-iran-history-imperialist-domination-intrigue-and-intervention

Part 5: The 1979 Revolution and the Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism
Part 5 examines how both the 1979 revolution and the U.S. response fueled the rise of Islamic fundamentalism.
https://revcom.us/a/095/iran-pt5-en.html

Part 6: The 1980s—Double-Dealing, Double-Crossing, and Fueling the Gulf Slaughter
Part 6 exposes the imperialist logic, cynicism—and necessities—behind Ronald Reagan’s 1985-86 “arms-for-hostages” gambit to Iran.
https://revcom.us/a/099/iran-pt6-en.html

Part 7: 1991-2001: The Soviet Collapse, the Growth of Islamic Fundamentalism, and The Intensification of U.S. Hostility Toward Iran
Part 7 traces the escalation of U.S. hostility toward Iran—from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 until 2001, when George W. Bush took office.
https://revcom.us/a/101/iran-pt7-en.html

Part 8: Bush Regime Targets Iran After 9/11
Part 8 of this series examines why the Bush administration targeted Iran after 9/11, how the invasion of Iraq has backfired on them in many ways, and why this has increased their felt need to confront the Islamic Republic.
https://revcom.us/a/107/iran-history-en.html

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