"In 1953 Iran's elected prime minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, nationalizes the country's oil sector. That move prompts Great Britain to appeal to the U.S. for help, and what results is a CIA-led campaign to topple Mosaddegh's government. The coup allows Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah (or king) of Iran, to consolidate power around himself."
"In early 1979, following months of protests by secularists, Islamists and leftists against his autocratic rule, Pahlavi flees Iran and enters the U.S. The revolution had been led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a Shia cleric who was living in exile near Paris after being expelled by Pahlavi in 1964. Khomeini returns to Iran and oversees the country's transition to an Islamic republic, becoming Iran's supreme leader."
"Khomeini establishes a hard-line theocracy and labels America the "Great Satan." In November of that year, a group of Iranian students storms the U.S. embassy in Tehran and captures 66 Americans. A U.S. rescue attempt in the spring of 1980 codenamed Operation Eagle Claw, which is approved by President Jimmy Carter, is hampered by mechanical problems, a severe dust storm and a crash that kills eight service members."
U.S.-Iran relations have been marked by significant historical confrontations spanning decades. In 1953, the CIA orchestrated a coup overthrowing Iran's elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh after he nationalized the oil industry, allowing Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to consolidate power and become a U.S. ally for 25 years. This alliance ended in 1979 when the Iranian Revolution, led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, overthrew the Shah and established an Islamic republic. Khomeini labeled America the "Great Satan" and established a hard-line theocracy. Later that year, Iranian students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, capturing 66 Americans. A U.S. rescue attempt in 1980 failed due to mechanical problems and a crash killing eight service members.
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