Does America have good relations with Iran?

Iran and the United States have had no formal diplomatic relations since April 7, 1980. Instead, Pakistan serves as Iran’s protecting power in the United States, while Switzerland serves as the United States’ protecting power in Iran.

Why is the US allied with Saudi Arabia?

Since World War II, the two countries have been allied in opposition to Communism, in support of stable oil prices, stability in the oil fields and oil shipping of the Persian Gulf, and stability in the economies of Western countries where Saudis have invested.

What is the US relationship with Saudi Arabia?

The U.S. is Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner, and Saudi Arabia is the largest U.S. export market in the Middle East. The United States and Saudi Arabia have a history of technical and educational exchange which has benefited both nations, and the longstanding security relationship continues to be important.

What is behind the US-Iran war?

America and Iran have despised each other for decades. The hostility intensified in 2019, reaching a fever pitch yesterday as the Pentagon ordered an air strike that killed Iran’s most powerful general Qassem Soleimani.

Why did the US support the Shah of Iran?

Mr Byrne says the Shah “clearly felt he owed his remaining in power to the US”, and the Americans in turn felt they now had a loyal partner in the region. Over the years, the US pumped a lot of money into the Shah’s regime, and he was promoted in the Western press as a staunch ally.

Why is Iran importing so many weapons from the US?

At the same time, coinciding with increasing oil prices, Iran started importing arms from the US at a massive scale. “The Shah is buying all kinds of advanced weapons from the United States, his defence budget increases something like 800 per cent over four or five years,” Mr Khalil says.

Was there a Cold War narrative behind the Iranian coup?

Ali Ansari, a professor of Iranian history at the University of St Andrews, says though there was a “Cold War narrative in the background”, the coup had a “very hard-nosed corporate aspect to it”. “The Americans had a fairly sophisticated network already in Iran, prepared really for Cold War reasons,” she says.