The Iranian Revolution

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The Iranian Revolution Wars to Follow
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The Iranian Revolution

• Shah Reza Pahlavi
• Came to power when the CIA helped overthrow a
  prime minister who tried to nationalize an oil
  company (1951)
• Strong ally of USA
• Brutally suppressed dissent SAVAK secret
  police
• Modernized Iran

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The Iranian Revolution

• Ayatollah Khomeini
• Opposed Shahs policies exiled by Shah
• Audiotapes to mullahs started street
  demonstrations
• 1979 Khomeini returns to rule Iran
• Shah flees Islamic Republic formed
• US is hated for its alliance with Shah
• Iranian students storm US embassy in Tehran
  hold diplomats hostage for over 1 year.

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History of Iraq

• Province of the Ottoman Empire
• Conquered by the British during WWI
• Became independent in 1932, but was still under
  British influence
• Saddam Hussein became the dictator of Iraq in 1979

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Looking Back at Iran Iraq

• Iran Iraq War
• Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in 1980
• thinking that they were weak as a result of the
  Iranian Revolution
• Most countries supported Iraq because of fear of
  radical Islamic fundamentalism spreading.
• Iraq used chemical weapons both against Iran
  against his own people (Kurds).

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• War ends in 1988
• Iran signed UN Security Resolution 598 bringing
  UN mediation into the area
• During the war, US reestablished diplomatic ties
  with Iraq
• Allowed arms sales to the Iraqis

Victims of poison gas
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Persian Gulf War

• Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990
• US began Operation Desert Shield to defend Saudi
  Arabia
• January 1991, Operation Desert Storm began with
  massive air strikes
• War ended quickly and UN resolution 678 expelled
  Iraq from Kuwait

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Aftermath

• Saddam renewed his genocide of the Kurds
• He hid his nuclear and chemical programs from UN
  inspectors
• US attempted dual containment program to
  isolate Iraq and Iran
• Oil for Food program began allowing the UN to
  scale back sanctions in 2000

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Operation Iraqi Freedom

• March 20, 2003-Present
• Also known as the Second Gulf War
• War began with the United States-led invasion of
  Iraq in 2003
• Iraq refused UN weapons inspections
• It was believed Iraq was harboring weapons of
  mass destruction
• US led coalition forces overthrew Iraqi President
  Saddam Hussein

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Car bombing in Baghdad
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Problems

• Difficult street and house to house fighting
  (Guerilla Warfare)
• A sometimes invisible enemy
• Sunni/Shiite Civil War
• Are there really any weapons of mass
  destruction??
• Did invading Iraq help the US in bringing an end
  to the War on Terrorism?

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Death Toll 3,921 American lives (1/9/08)
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Controversy with Iran

• Mahmoud Ahmadinejad elected In 2005
• Today, Iran is openly developing nuclear power
  capability. They claim this is for peaceful
  energy purposes, but many are skeptical
• In a fall 2005 speech to students, Iran's
  president called for Israel to wiped off map
• Iran, along with North Korea, is one of only two
  countries to be named both an "Axis of Evil"