US and Iran: A brief history of how decades of mistrust and bad blood led to open warfare

U.S. and Iranian forces are now engaged in open warfare, with American bombs striking Iran and Tehran responding by attacking targets across the Persian Gulf while restricting transit through the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict stems from decades of animosity dating to 1953, when the CIA and British intelligence overthrew Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh and installed a Western-friendly successor, followed by U.S. support for the repressive Shah's 25-year rule. The tensions escalated sharply after Iranian students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November 1979, triggering economic sanctions and a severing of diplomatic relations that persist today. Since 1984, the State Department has designated Iran a "state sponsor of terrorism," alleging the government provides training, money, and weapons to terrorist organizations. The article traces how these historical grievances—rooted in the 1953 coup and the Shah's brutal dictatorship—set the stage for the current military confrontation.