Closing Up so some distance:
Once shut allies below the Shah’s “Atoms for Peace” programme, the 1979 Islamic Revolution changed every little thing about this dynamic staunch into a “cold war” between the US and Iran
The connection between the US and Iran has long gone from a Frigid War strategic partnership to decades of deep-seated protection pressure and political hostility. (Describe: AFP/File)
The excessive-stakes standoff between the US and Iran within the most up-to-date day – adding to an already unstable West Asia – is also described as an allyship long gone faulty, fraught with concerns attributable to the nuclear angle.
From the 1953 CIA-backed coup to the 2025 ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’ strikes on nuclear facilities, the relationship between the US and Iran has long gone from a Frigid War strategic partnership to decades of deep-seated protection pressure and political hostility.
Once shut allies below Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s “Atoms for Peace” programme, the 1979 Islamic Revolution changed everything about this dynamic into a “cold war” between the two countries. This has been defined by regional proxy battles and notify protection pressure engagements, at the side of the 1988 destruction of half of Iran’s operational rapid and the 2020 assassination of Well-liked Qasem Soleimani.
The 2 sides are caught between the chronic threat of total battle and the fitful pursuit of a stable nuclear settlement. At a vital level now, they’ve tried to place diplomatic talks in Geneva and Oman to tackle their points.
American President Donald Trump has indicated a 10-day vital window, intensifying an already volatile scenario attributable to critical inner unrest within Iran and a heavy US naval presence within the location.
FRIEND TO FOE: A LOOK AT MILITARY STRIKES BETWEEN US, IRAN
The transformation of US-Iran ties from strategic allyship to hostility is most visible through its history of notify protection pressure strikes.
Essentially based on historical data, the 1988 ‘Operation Praying Mantis’ was a pivotal 2d the place the US Navy destroyed roughly half of Iran’s operational rapid in a single day in retaliation for a naval mine. This established a precedent for notify, excessive-depth protection pressure engagement that resurfaced decades later.
In the everyday period, nonetheless, there has been a shift against targeted assassinations and precision strikes. The 2020 assassination of Well-liked Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Power, through a drone strike marked a critical escalation.
This was adopted by more most up-to-date operations, such because the February 2024 airstrikes on more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria. Most nowadays, in June 2025, the US launched ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’ on Iran’s nuclear facilities following a 12-day battle captivating Israeli-Iranian exchanges.
Here is a timeline of tensions between the US and Iran:
1953: The CIA and British intelligence orchestrate a coup to overthrow Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh after he nationalised Iran’s oil alternate, reinstating the Shah as an absolute monarch and a key US ally.
1957: The US launches Iran’s nuclear programme, offering a reactor and gasoline for “serene energy” under the “Atoms for Peace” initiative.
1979: The Islamic Revolution overthrows the Shah. Iranian college students later storm the US Embassy in Tehran, keeping 52 American citizens hostage for 444 days leading the US to cut diplomatic ties.
Eighties: All the intention during the “Tanker War”, the US provides intelligence to Iraq. In 1988, the US Navy conducts ‘Operation Praying Mantis’ and, later, accidentally shoots down Iran Air Flight 655, a civilian airliner, killing 290 people.
2015: The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the Iran nuclear deal, is signed to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
2018: The US withdraws from the JCPOA, initiating a “maximum pressure” campaign.
2020: The US assassinates Well-liked Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad; Iran retaliates with missile strikes on US bases in Iraq.
2025: Following a period of intense stress, the US conducts ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’, notify strikes on the Fordow and Natanz nuclear websites the utilization of B-2 stealth bombers.
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First Printed:
February 19, 2026, 22:54 IST
Recordsdata world 1953 Coup To 2025 Op Midnight Hammer: What Is The History Of The Battle Between Ex-Allies US And Iran?
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