History of US-Iran relations: From the 1953 coup to Trump's airstrike

According to Al Jazeera, tensions between the US and Iran have escalated to their highest point in decades after President Donald Trump on June 22 ordered direct airstrikes that he said "totally destroyed" key nuclear facilities across the Middle Eastern country.

Relations between the two countries have been hostile since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the pro-Western Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Since then, the two countries have clashed over a myriad of issues, including Iran's nuclear ambitions, its support for regional proxies, and US political interference.

Here is a timeline of US-Iran relations since 1953:

• 1953 - US-backed coup and return of Shah Pahlavi:Initial tensions arose from the efforts of Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, to nationalize the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (now BP). Mosaddegh angered the British, whose Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) helped the United Kingdom stage a coup and return the deposed Shah, Pahlavi, to power.
• 1957 - "Atoms for Peace":The Shah's ambition for a nuclear-powered Iran was supported by the United States and its Western allies. The two countries signed a nuclear agreement on the civilian use of nuclear energy under then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" program. A decade later, the United States provided Iran with a nuclear reactor and uranium for fuel. This cooperation is the basis for the current nuclear issue.
• 1979 - Islamic Revolution:While relations between Tehran and Washington flourished, Iranians grew disaffected under Shah Pahlavi's rule and against Western influence. Revolutionary protests began in late 1978 and forced the Shah to flee in January 1979. Exiled leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to lead the new Islamic Republic.
• 1980 - US breaks off diplomatic relations:After the United States allowed the Shah to enter the country for cancer treatment, Iranian students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. Washington severed diplomatic relations and imposed sanctions on Iran.
• 1980-1988 - US support for Iraq invasion:After Saddam Hussein's Iraq invaded Iran, the United States sided with Iraq, deepening tensions between the two countries. The war lasted until 1988, killing thousands on both sides. Iraq also used chemical weapons against Iran.
• 1984 - Labeled "terrorist sponsor":President Ronald Reagan officially designated Iran a “state sponsor of terrorism” after a series of attacks in Lebanon. In one attack on a military base in Beirut, 241 American servicemen were killed. The United States blamed Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim movement in Lebanon backed by Iran. However, the Reagan administration later secretly worked with Iran to free American hostages held by Hezbollah. When the affair was exposed, the Iran-Contra affair, as it was called, became a major political scandal for the Reagan administration.
• 1988 - Iran Air plane crash:Amid the tensions of the war, a US Navy warship entered Iranian territorial waters and shot down a civilian Iran Air flight (IR655) en route to Dubai on July 8. All 290 people on board were killed. The US declared it a mistake, did not formally apologize, but paid the families $61.8 million in compensation.
• 1995 - Tightening of embargo:President Bill Clinton issued executive orders banning U.S. companies from doing business with Iran. Congress also passed legislation to penalize foreign entities investing in Iran's energy sector or selling advanced weapons to the country, citing Iran's nuclear development and support for groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
• 2002 - "Axis of Evil":After the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush in a speech labeled Iran part of an “Axis of Evil,” along with Iraq and North Korea. The move damaged informal cooperation between the two countries against common enemies, the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
• 2013-2015 - Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA):President Barack Obama began high-level talks with Iran. In 2015, Tehran agreed to a nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that limited Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
• 2018 - Trump withdraws from nuclear deal:During his first term, Mr. Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the agreement and reimposed sanctions. Iran also stopped complying with its commitments and began producing enriched uranium beyond the agreement's limits.
• 2020 - Assassination of General Soleimani:The US assassinated General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in a drone strike in Baghdad. Iran responded with attacks on US facilities in Iraq.
• 3/2025 - Letter to Tehran:Trump sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei proposing new talks on a nuclear deal within 60 days. Informal talks began in Oman and Italy. Both sides expressed optimism, but Iran still insisted on its right to enrich uranium, a major sticking point. Israel launched airstrikes on Iran a day before the sixth round of talks between the US and Iran.
• 6/2025 - US airstrikes:The US bombed three key nuclear facilities in Iran, citing security concerns and to protect Israel, marking the latest and most dangerous chapter in the volatile relationship between the two countries.