Note that most Western media accounts of tensions between USA-UK and Iran take the events of 1979 (called "the hostage crisis") as their starting point. This is an example of looking at the world through American (specifically USA) eyes.
| Year | Acts Committed by USA-UK on Iran | Acts Committed by Iran on USA-UK |
|---|---|---|
| 1920s and 1930s |  UK control of Iran's oil. UK pressure on the king of Iran to exclude other powers from development. |
|
| 1941-1942 | UK, USA and Russia occupy Iran and exile the king, placing his son on the throne. |
|
| 1945 | Departure of foreign troops but no compensation as previously promised. |
|
| 1953 | UK and USA remove democratically elected government and replace with dictator (The Shah of Iran). |
|
| 1957 | USA sets up and trains Shah's secret police, SAVAK. |
|
| 1979 |  Iran overthrows the Shah who flees to the USA. After the USA refuses to return the Shah, Iran takes 52 USA embassy staff hostage for 444 days. |
|
| 1980 | USA and UK arm Iraq when it invades Iran. USA fails to back UN condemnation of invasion. |
|
| 1987 | USA seizes Iranian ship in international waters. |
|
| 1988 | USA bombs oil facilities in Iran. USA warship shoots down Iranian passenger plane killing 286 people. |
|
| 1995 | USA imposes sanctions on Iran. |
|
| 2002 | USA threatens Iran with regime change. |
|
| 2007 | USA takes 5 Iranian diplomats hostage in Iraq. (Jan 2007 - ?) |
|
| 2007 | Iran takes 15 UK sailors hostage for 13 days. |
|
| 2007 | USA takes Iranian power station workers hostage in Iraq. (Aug 2007 - ?) USA threatens Iran with military action. |
© 2007 KryssTal
