US vs. Iran: Three generations of conflict

US vs. Iran: Three generations of conflict

The 1953 Coup and Its Legacy

Iran and the United States have long shared a complex history, marked by pivotal moments that shaped mutual perceptions. The 1953 coup, orchestrated by the CIA and Britain’s MI6, was a critical event. It reinstated Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the shah, as Iran’s ruler, reversing the nationalization of the oil industry by prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1951. This action, which challenged Western dominance over Iranian resources, left a lasting scar on Iranian society.

“The 1953 coup was a turning point, which the United States and Britain essentially engineered to overthrow Mossadegh and to reinstall the shah,” said Ian Lesser, vice president at the German Marshall Fund think tank.

Many Iranians viewed the coup as an act of foreign interference, undermining their democratic aspirations. This sentiment fueled the Islamic Revolution three decades later, with figures like Negin Shiraghei noting that the older generation believed the shah was a US puppet. “My parents’ generation thought the problems the country had were because of the US intervention,” Shiraghei explained, highlighting how this perception became a cornerstone of Iran’s anti-Western ideology.

The 1979-81 Hostage Crisis

Another defining chapter in the US-Iran rivalry was the 1979-81 hostage crisis. On November 4 of that year, a group of Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran, capturing 66 Americans. Their demand was the shah’s return to Iran, seen as a symbol of Western influence. This event became a defining moment for American public sentiment, broadcast widely on television and perceived as a direct attack on US sovereignty.

“That perception about Iran as an adversary is very much embedded in certain generations,” said Lesser, emphasizing the lasting impact of the crisis on US policy.

The 444-day standoff left a profound imprint, with the hostages’ release celebrated as a triumph in Washington. Yet, the crisis deepened tensions, setting the stage for future confrontations. The 1983 Beirut barracks bombings, in which Iran-backed Hezbollah killed over 200 US marines, further solidified negative views of Iran in American consciousness.

The Nuclear Dispute and Modern Tensions

Today, the nuclear dispute remains a focal point of the US-Iran rivalry. The ongoing conflict is rooted in decades of mistrust, with the Iranian government leveraging symbols from the 1979 revolution to justify its current stance. Many senior figures in Iran trace their leadership back to that era, maintaining a confrontational posture toward the United States.

Meanwhile, younger generations in Iran, who came of age during political openings in the 1990s and early 2000s, experienced a shift in national identity. Despite this, Shiraghei observed that anti-American sentiment had waned rapidly, even if it was not openly acknowledged. “The sentiment on the ground was changing rapidly, even if people didn’t have the courage to say it,” she noted.

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Roots of Enduring Mistrust

These three events—1953, 1979-81, and the nuclear standoff—continue to influence both nations’ policies and public discourse. The US and Iran’s relationship, once defined by cooperation, has evolved into a legacy of rivalry, with each generation carrying forward the grievances of the last. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a key pillar of Iran’s post-revolutionary system, remains a symbol of this enduring conflict, tasked with defending the revolution and quelling dissent.