Viewpoint Iran: The Past and Present of the U.S.-Iran Standoff

EDITOR'S NOTE

Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and the taking of American hostages that year, Americans have tended to see the Iranian regime as dangerous, reckless and irrational. Recent concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions and anti-Israel declarations have only underscored the sense many Americans have that Iran is a "rogue" nation, part of an "axis of evil." There is another side to this story. This month historian Annie Tracy Samuel looks at American-Iranian relations from the Iranian point of view, and adds some complexity to the simplified story often told.

The victory of moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani in Iran’s June 2013 presidential elections generated hope that the thirty-year standoff between Iran and the United States might be resolved.

During his first press conference after being sworn in as president, Rouhani declared that he was open to direct talks with the United States, while a White House statement released after Rouhani’s inauguration offered him a "willing partnership."

Those conciliatory words, however, were accompanied on both sides with qualifications, skepticism, and antagonistic gestures. Congress continued to push new sanctions aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions, and the Obama administration conditioned any partnership on Iran taking steps to meet its "international obligations."

On the Iranian side, Rouhani emphasized that the United States must take "practical step[s] to remove Iranian mistrust" before he would be willing to engage in dialogue. His focus on Iran's mistrust is not simply rhetoric but reflects what Iran sees as the long history of U.S. enmity....

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