US Relations in Iran FRQ Prep

1. The cold war between Saudi Arabia and Iran is similar to the cold war between the US and the Soviet Union in the past. Each set of countries are not directly in war against each other but supporting countries and regions that are at war with each other. The US became and allies with Saudi Arabia after oil reserves were discovered. Once both countries were established they had governments backed up by the US. Saudi Arabia still had more power over their own people. When the Iranian Revolution became more global Saudi Arabia strengthened their bond with the US and created the Gulf Cooperation Council. Iran and Saudi Arabia were using Iraq as a buffer when the US invaded it. Both countries started supporting proxy groups within the country to try to gain control. The Arab Spring threatened Saudi Arabia's control. This caused more countries to begin fighting each other through other countries.

2. A revolution occurred in Iran where the Muslim religious leader overthrew the Shah of Iran and took control of the nation. November of 1979 the American embassy in Tehran was seized and 53 Americans were taken hostage. Protests began were US citizens were telling Iranians to get out of their country and to release all hostages. They were not released until January of 1981, after the inauguration of Ronald Reagan as president. In the 1980's President Reagan gave aid to anticommunists in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Congress then passed a law banning giving them aid. To get Around the ban President Reagan staff secretly sold weapons to Iran to fund the anticommunists, Contras. These actions were done illegally and Reagan claimed they were done without his Knowledge.

3. The Iranian Presidential Election was won by Mahmound Ahmadinejad. After the results were released Iranians began to protest. Hassan Rouhani became the new leader of Iran considered to be a reformist. He entered negotiations with the US to end economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for Iran's commitment not to build nuclear weapons. US, Russia, China, Great Britain, France, and Germany reached an agreement with Iran to limit their ability to develop nuclear weapons. Iran agreed to enrich uranium only to power electricity for the nation. In return America and its allies lifted all nuclear-related economic sanctions.

3.1. Now the US has withdrawn from this agreement and beginning in 2019 Iran's nuclear enrichment program restarted.

4. The US gave the Shah asylum while dying of cancer. The people of Iran wanted him to be returned, tried, and hanged. This was due to the Shah living a life of excess and the people of Iran living in the streets and starving.

5. Iran began to take over Iraq and they started the Tanker War. In this war they both started attacking opposing countries ships exporting oil in the Straight of Hormuz. The US was giving military support to Iraq and escorting tankers to protect oil for allies and themselves. A US ship hit a Iran mine which injured US soldiers and later the US struck down a commercial airplane. The war ended in 1988 but tension between the US and Iran was still there.

5.1. Iran's nuclear program became an issue due to the uncertainty of their intentions with countries they were fighting with. Iran had expanding and undisclosed nuclear facilities. None of these nuclear weapons were being used for military purposes. President Obama signed and executive order against Iran's Petrochemical Industry. This caused a down fall in Iran's economy and they began threatening to close the Straight of Hormuz. The US fought back saying that it would not be tolerated. Both countries came to a diplomatic agreement in 2018. This was prevented Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran's economy began to recover. This was until President Trump decided to withdraw from the deal in 2018. Tensions began rising again with similar levels from the Tanker War.