The U.S. and Iran: 1953 to today

The U.S. and Iran have had fraught relations since the 1950s. Today we'll talk about the decades of conflict, including the recent killing of Qassem Soleimani.

Air Date: January 8, 2020 10:00 am

Mourners attend a funeral ceremony for Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and his comrades, who were killed in Iraq in a U.S. drone strike on Friday, in the city of Kerman, Iran, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. The leader of Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened on Tuesday to "set ablaze" places supported by the United States over the killing of a top Iranian general in a U.S. airstrike last week, sparking cries from the crowd of supporters of "Death to Israel!" (Erfan Kouchari/Tasnim News Agency via AP)

Guests: Evrand Abrahamian, Narges Bajoghli, Joe Cirincione

The United States escalated tensions with Iran recently by assassinating high-level official Qassem Soleimani. The announcement of the unauthorized attack stunned the international community, and Iran has declared it an act of war. Then, on Tuesday night, Iran retaliated by striking a U.S. facility in Iraq. Today we’ll talk about long history of U.S.-Iran tensions, the conflicts that have shaped our relationship over the years, who Soleimani was, the lead up to the killing, and what this all could mean for the U.S.’s engagement in the Middle East. Joining us is Iranian-born historian EVRAND ABRAHAMIAN and NARGES BAJOGHLI, assistant professor of Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Then, JOE CIRINCIONE, president of the Ploughshares Fund will discuss the implications of Tuesday night’s retaliatory attack by Iran.

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