308: The U.S. and Iran: A Brief History of an Often Tense Relationship

Last weekend, an American airstrike killed Iranian General Qasam
Soleimani, at the direction of President Trump. Iran vowed to
retaliate and launched more than a dozen missiles at two American
military bases in Iraq. In response, President Trump addressed
the nation on Wednesday, saying the US will impose new economic
sanctions on Iran. Only time will tell what Solemani’s death
means for U.S./Iran relations, and the future of the Middle East.
But how did we get here? 



On this episode of BackStory, Brian speaks with Hussein Banai,
author of “Becoming Enemies: U.S.-Iran Relations and the
Iran-Iraq War, 1979-1988,” about what the history of US/Iran
relations can teach us about the current moment -- and where we
might be headed.

Image: A staff member removes the Iranian flag from the stage
after a group picture with foreign ministers and representatives
of Unites States, Iran, China, Russia, Britain, Germany, France
and the European Union during the Iran nuclear talks at the
Vienna International Center in Vienna, Austria Tuesday July 14,
2015. Source: AP Images