Relations between Iran and the US began in the mid-to-late nineteenth century. Initially, while Iran was very wary of British and Russian colonial interests during the Great Game, the United States was seen as a more trustworthy Western power, and the Americans Arthur Millspaugh and Morgan Shuster were even appointed treasurers-general by the Shahs of the time! During World War II, Iran was invaded by the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, both US allies, but relations continued to be positive after the war until the later years of the government of Mohammad Mossadeq, who was overthrown by a coup organized by MI6 and aided by the Central Intelligence Agency. This was followed by an era of close alliance between Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's regime and the American government. They enjoyed the abundance of natural resources, most importantly... ....Iran's oil. Relations were extremely close. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
, God rest his soul, maintained close ties with the United States during most of his reign, which lasted from 1941 until he was very unfortunately overthrown by the Islamic Revolution in 1979. He pursued a Westernizing, modernizing economic policy, and a strongly pro-Western foreign policy; he also made a number of visits to America, where he was regarded as a friend. He was very intimate friends with most of the United States Presidents.
, God rest his soul, maintained close ties with the United States during most of his reign, which lasted from 1941 until he was very unfortunately overthrown by the Islamic Revolution in 1979. He pursued a Westernizing, modernizing economic policy, and a strongly pro-Western foreign policy; he also made a number of visits to America, where he was regarded as a friend. He was very intimate friends with most of the United States Presidents.
I remember a story about one time when he was paying a visit to President Harry Truman. In Persian tradition, The elegant Shah brought a gift for his host......a stunning silk Tabriz rug. Truman loved it so much that when he was leaving office and moving out of the White House, he made certain to take the rug with him! He said it was given to him personally from his dear friend, The Shah! He refused to leave it behind.
President and Jackie Kennedy were also great friends with The Shah and Empress Farah.....which is most evident from all the lovely photographs I personally have, which reflect much happier times.....I especially love the intimate ones which show The Shah and JFK sharing special moments......and laughing heartily together. Some other photographs show the two glamorous couples dressed to the hilt....and being out at various events.....as if on double dates.
Iran's long border with America's Cold War rival, the Soviet Union, and its position as the largest, most powerful country in the oil-rich Persian Gulf, made Iran a "pillar" of US foreign policy in the Middle East. Prior to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, many Iranian students resided in the United States. Even Israel and Iran were close allies, as well. Iran flourished and had a wonderful blossoming towards becoming a modernized nation. Pahlavi University, Sharif University of Technology, and Isfahan University of Technology, three of Iran's top academic universities were all directly modeled on American institutions, such as the University of Chicago, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania. The Shah was generous in awarding American universities with financial gifts. For example, the University of Southern California received an endowed chair of petroleum engineering, and a million dollar donation was given to the George Washington University to create an Iranian Studies program. Before the Revolution, the United States was Iran's foremost economic and military partner. This facilitated the modernization of Iran's infrastructure and industry, with as many as 30,000 American expatriates residing in the country in a technical, consulting, or teaching capacity.
In the late 1970s, President Jimmy Carter emphasized human rights in his foreign policy, including the Shah's regime, which by 1977 had garnered unfavorable publicity in the West for its human rights record. That year, the Shah responded to Carter's "polite reminder" by granting amnesty to some prisoners and allowing the Red Cross to visit prisons. Through 1977, liberal opposition formed organizations and issued open letters denouncing the Shah's regime.
At the same time, Carter angered anti-Shah Iranians with a New Years Eve 1978 toast to the Shah in which he said:
"Under the Shah’s brilliant leadership Iran is an island of stability in one of the most troublesome regions of the world. There is no other state figure whom I could appreciate and like more." In my opinion ....and many other Pro-Shah individuals and countries, this was probably the most intelligent statement Carter ever made!
Observers disagree over the nature of United States policy toward Iran under Carter as the Shah's regime crumbled.The Carter administration followed "no clear policy" on Iran. The American ambassador to Iran, William H. Sullivan, recalled that the U.S. National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski "repeatedly assured Pahlavi that the U.S. backed him fully". On November 4, 1978, Brzezinski called the Shah to tell him that the United States would "back him to the hilt." At the same time, high-level officials in the State Department believed the revolution was unstoppable. After visiting the Shah in summer of 1978, Secretary of the Treasury W. Michael Blumenthal complained of the Shah's emotional collapse, reporting, "You've got a zombie out there." Brzezinski and Energy Secretary James Schlesinger were adamant in their assurances that the Shah would receive military support.
Others argued that, rather than being indecisive or sympathetic to the revolution, the Carter administration was consistently supportive of the Shah and urged the Iranian military to stage a "last-resort coup d'etat" even after the regime's cause was hopeless.
I would like to now fast forward to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which ousted the pro-American Shah and replaced him with the anti-American Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini. He surprised the United States government, its State Department and intelligence services, which "consistently underestimated the magnitude and long-term implications of this unrest". Six months before the revolution culminated, the CIA had produced a report, stating that "Persia is not in a revolutionary or even a 'prerevolutionary' situation."
Revolutionary students feared the power of the United States—particularly its Central Intelligence Agency to overthrow a new government. One source of this concern was a book by CIA agent Kermit Roosevelt, Jr. titled Countercoup: The Struggle for Control of Iran. Many students had read excerpts from the book and thought that the CIA would attempt to implement this countercoup strategy.
Khomeini, who called America the "Great Satan", instantly got rid of the Shah’s prime minister and replaced him with a moderate politician called Mehdi Bazargan. Until this point, the Carter Administration was still hoping to renormalize its relationship with Iran, sending its National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, whilst not recognizing the new regime. This was inconceivable for many Iranians, resulting in massive anti-American and anti-Bazargan demonstrations, and forcing the latter to resign.
The Islamic revolutionaries wished to extradite and execute the ousted Shah, and Carter refused to give him any further support or help return him to power! The Shah, suffering from cancer, requested entry into the United States for treatment. The American embassy in Tehran opposed the request! I never saw The Shah in tears before.....it broke my heart, and continues to haunt me to this day. Some friend and ally.....President Jimmy Carter ...ha!
However, Carter agreed to let the Shah in....... after pressure from Kissinger, Rockefeller and other pro-Shah political figures that we always loved ....who were our true friends and allies. They stepped up to bat, so to speak. Iranians’ suspicion that the Shah was actually trying to conspire against the Iranian Revolution grew; thus, this incident was often used by the Iranian revolutionaries to justify their claims that the former monarch was an American puppet, and this led to the storming of the American embassy by radical students allied with the Khomeini faction.
Fast forward to the present.....there are no formal diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States. Due to poor relations between the two countries, instead of exchanging ambassadors Iran maintains an interests section at the Pakistani embassy in Washington, D.C., while the United States has maintained an interests section at the Swiss embassy in Tehran. Also.....Iran and Israel have become arch enemies.........all of this is extremely depressing to me.....but it had to be written. I wish deeply that my country.........beautiful and rich Iran would have remained on the path it was on prior to the US allowing Khomeini into Iran and destroying our world. I live with a great deal of anger and remorse at times.....wishing I was not just a young boy who was jetted out of my country so quickly, in order to save my life and the lives of my family. I would have helped and died trying to save my land and people. It is a fantasy......which shall never became a reality............so sad.
I apologize if this sounded a bit emotional, however it is a prodigiously raw and intimate subject that is too close to my heart. Furthermore, I believe that Jimmy Carter's most weak character , wishy washy demeanor , and extremely poor judgement has literally changed the entire world for the worse. Who would have imagined this outcome would come into fruition .......the world has changed forever.
It is a part of history that I am sure most every country regrets .....all at the hands of a weak President and poor order of events. Imagine how much better the world would have evolved in history had the Ayatollah Khomeini been forced to remain in Paris and the Pahlavi Regime continued onward and upward.... I truly believe in my heart and soul that the US had the power and ability to prevent this all. They always have their hands in everything..........everywhere.
Stephie Pahlavi Zan
