A Timeline of Relations Between Iran, U.S.

By The Associated Press
Mon May 8, 4:39 PM ET

Under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who came to power in 1941, Iran was a close ally of the United States. Since the shah was toppled in the 1979 Iranian revolution, the two countries have been bitter enemies. Following is a chronology of their relations:

• April 1951: Mohammed Mossadegh is elected prime minister and nationalizes oil interests. In June 1953, the Eisenhower administration approves a British proposal for a joint Anglo-American operation, code-named Operation Ajax, to overthrow Mossadegh. His toppling becomes a long-standing source of resentment among Iranians toward the U.S.

• 1970: Iran signs the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

• February 1979: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini leads a revolution that ousts the shah and creates the Islamic Republic of Iran. In October, President Jimmy Carter allows the exiled shah into the U.S. for medical treatment.

• Nov. 4, 1979: Iranian students occupy the U.S. embassy. Fifty-two American hostages are held for 444 days in response to Carter's refusal to send the shah back to Iran for trial.

• April 24, 1980: An attempt by U.S. commandos to free hostages ends in failure when helicopter crashes into C-130 transport plane in Iranian desert, killing eight American servicemen.

• July 27, 1980: The shah dies of cancer in Egypt.

• January 1981: Iran releases the American hostages.

• 1986: United States sells arms to Iran in secret deal aimed at helping win release of American hostages held by Shiite militias in Lebanon.

• July 3, 1988: The USS Vincennes in the Gulf mistakenly shoots down an Iranian commercial jet, killing 290 passengers and crew.

• June 3, 1989: Ayatollah Khomeini dies just four months after issuing a fatwa, or religious ruling, ordering Muslims to kill British author Salman Rushdie because of his book The Satanic Verses, judged blasphemous to Islam.

• 1995: U.S. imposes oil and trade sanctions on Iran, saying it sponsors terrorism, is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons and is hostile to the Mideast peace process.

• May 1997: Pro-reform cleric Mohammad Khatami wins presidential elections on platform of easing social restrictions and improving ties with West, including United States. Khatami is re-elected in June 2001 but faces mounting pressure from conservatives.

• January 2002: In his State of the Union address, President Bush describes Iran, Iraq and North Korea as "the axis of evil."

• September 2004: Secretary of State Colin Powell says Iran's nuclear program is a growing threat and calls for international sanctions.

• June 2005: Hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is elected president, sealing downfall of reform movement, vows to continue nuclear program, insisting it is peaceful.

• April 2006: Iran announces it has successfully enriched uranium on small scale.

• May 2006: Britain and France, backed by United States, propose Security Council resolution demanding Iran abandon uranium enrichment or face the threat of unspecified further measures, a possible reference to sanctions.

Source: AP via Yahoo! News
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