Iran & America: A Century and Counting
From the oil concessions of 1901 to the standoffs of today — eleven episodes on how Iran and the United States went from allies to adversaries: Mosaddegh and the 1953 coup, the Shah's fall, the hostage crisis, Iran-Contra, Stuxnet, the nuclear deal and its collapse. Built on the declassified record. Narrated by AI voices from sourced, human-reviewed research.
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Episodes
Why Iran Once Trusted America: Oil, Empire & Mosaddegh's Rise
In 1945, many Iranians saw the United States as the friend who helped push the old empires out.
Operation Ajax: How the CIA Overthrew Iran's Mosaddegh in 1953
Truman said no.
The Shah's Iran: Modernization, SAVAK & the Road to Revolution
The coup put a king back on his throne for 26 years.
444 Days: The Iran Hostage Crisis and How It Was Weaponized
A short symbolic protest became a 444-day crisis — and the lever clerics used to seize a revolution and brand their rivals as American agents.
The October Surprise: Did Reagan's Camp Delay the 1980 Hostage Release?
Did Reagan's 1980 campaign secretly signal Tehran to hold the hostages until after the election? It's a serious allegation — and, crucially, an unproven one.
Iran–Contra, the Tanker War & Flight 655: The 1980s That Broke Trust
Secret arms sales, a naval war in the Persian Gulf, and a civilian airliner shot from the sky with 290 people aboard.
The Reset That Never Happened: US–Iran Relations in the 1990s
After Khomeini's death, a reformist president reached out with a "Dialogue Among Civilizations." So why couldn't Washington and Tehran turn a thaw into a deal? Episode 7 explains the 1990s in a measured tone.
Axis of Evil to Stuxnet: How the Iran Nuclear Crisis Began
Iran quietly helped the U.S.
Stuxnet: The Cyberweapon That Sabotaged Iran's Nuclear Program
A piece of code physically destroyed thousands of Iranian centrifuges — opening the age of digital sabotage and reshaping the whole nuclear standoff.
How the Iran Nuclear Deal Collapsed: JCPOA, Maximum Pressure & Soleimani
Painstakingly built, then torn up.
Operation Epic Fury: The 2026 US–Iran War and the Hormuz Oil Shock
In February 2026, decades of failed diplomacy ended in open war: roughly 900 strikes in twelve hours, a Supreme Leader killed, and oil past $100 a barrel.