The U.S. and Israel have attacked Iran and killing some of the Islamic Republic’s top leaders, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has responded with attacks on Israel, U.S. bases in the Gulf Region, oil infrastructure and by closing the Strait of Hormuz. There is a long history of Iranian and U.S. relations and this war is another piece of it.
In our latest, we talk with Prof. Afshin Matin-Asgari, author the new book “Axis of Empire: A History of Iran–US Relations,” about the current conflict and the relationship over the past 76 years including the overthrow of Mossadegh, the Shah’s brutal regime, the Islamic Revolution, the Iran-Iraq war, Iranian adventures in the Gulf, the Obama nuclear deal and the conflict between Trump and Iran’s leaders.
Bio//
Born in Iran, Afshin Matin-Asgari studied in the United States, where he was active in the 1970s anti-shah student opposition. He returned to Iran to participate in the revolution. He lives in the United States and is Professor of Middle East History at California State University, Los Angeles. Matin-Asgari has published two scholarly monographs and more than two dozen articles and book chapters on modern Iranian political and intellectual history, focusing in particular on leftist thought and movements.
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