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| | US Confrontation with Iran Open-Content investigative project managed by stefan, blackmax
This is the home page for the US Confrontation with Iran investigative project, one of several grassroots investigations being hosted on the History Commons website. The data published as part of this investigation has been collected, organized, and published by members of the public who are registered users of this website.
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Timelines
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Events Recently Added to the US Confrontation with Iran timeline
- 8/13
- GOP Congressmen Meet with Iranian Disinformation Peddlers, Advance Unsupported Allegations of Iranian Terror Plans, Mid-July 2005, posted by blackmax
- 8/13
- Liz Cheney Pushes for War with Iran from Senior State Department Post, Spring 2006, posted by blackmax
- 8/6
- Former State Official: Bush’s Wars Have Served Iranian Interests, October 2006, posted by blackmax
- 8/6
- Former National Security Adviser Warns that Attacking Iran Will ‘End America’s Present Role’ in the World, April 12, 2006, posted by blackmax
- 8/6
- Lobbyists Indicted for Passing Classified Information to Israel; Holding Citizens to Same Standards as Government Officials, August 4, 2005, posted by blackmax
More Timeline entries sorted by the month they were published
What's New?
8/10/2009 More Coverage Needed
A recent spate of entries has once again moved this project forward, covering both the Larry Franklin/AIPAC information-passing prosecutions and Bush-era concerns that destabilizing Iran would lead to further instability in the Middle East. Much remains to be done in this project. We welcome your contributions. |
Recently Added Events
Showing 1-20 of 100 recently added events: next 20 - 8/13
- GOP Congressmen Meet with Iranian Disinformation Peddlers, Advance Unsupported Allegations of Iranian Terror Plans, Mid-July 2005, posted by blackmax
- 8/13
- Liz Cheney Pushes for War with Iran from Senior State Department Post, Spring 2006, posted by blackmax
- 8/6
- Former State Official: Bush’s Wars Have Served Iranian Interests, October 2006, posted by blackmax
- 8/6
- Former National Security Adviser Warns that Attacking Iran Will ‘End America’s Present Role’ in the World, April 12, 2006, posted by blackmax
- 8/6
- Lobbyists Indicted for Passing Classified Information to Israel; Holding Citizens to Same Standards as Government Officials, August 4, 2005, posted by blackmax
- 8/6
- Prosecutors Drop Charges against Lobbyists Accused of Passing Classified Information, May 1, 2009, posted by blackmax
- 8/6
- Former CIA Counterterrorism Official: Iran Is ‘Iraq Redux’, October 2006, posted by blackmax
- 4/27
- Iran Holds Informal Diplomatic Talks with NATO Official, Mid-March, 2009, posted by blackmax
- 4/7
- Peres Addresses Iranian People, Encourages Overthrow of Government, March 19, 2009, posted by blackmax
- 4/7
- Obama Sends Holiday Message to Iran Calling for Stronger Ties between Iran, US, March 19, 2009, posted by blackmax
- 4/6
- National Intelligence Director Says Iran Has Not Restarted Nuclear Weapons Program, March 10, 2009, posted by blackmax
- 4/6
- Defense Secretary: Iran Not Close to Having Nuclear Weapon, March 1, 2009, posted by blackmax
- 4/6
- JCS Chairman Says Iran Has Enough Nuclear Material for a Bomb; Other Officials Disagree, March 1, 2009, posted by blackmax
- 3/6
- US Refuses to Join in European Efforts to Halt Iranian Nuclear Weapons Development, Fall 2003, posted by blackmax
- 3/5
- Iran Announces Nuclear Energy Facilities under Construction, February 9, 2003, posted by blackmax
- 3/1
- Neoconservative Writer Recommends US Invade Iran First, November 12, 2002, posted by blackmax
- 3/1
- White House Ignores Offer of Diplomatic Relations with Iran, Begins Efforts to Destabilize Regime, Late May 2003, posted by blackmax
- 3/1
- Powell Admits Failure in Selling Iranian ‘Grand Bargain’, Mid-April 2003, posted by blackmax
- 3/1
- Rice: Diplomatic Engagement with Iran Useless, April 2002, posted by blackmax
- 3/1
- Bush Administration Blames Iran for Helping Al-Qaeda Bomb Saudi Arabian Targets; No Evidence of Iranian Complicity, May 12, 2003, posted by blackmax
Showing 1-20 of 100 recently added events: next 20
Recently Updated Events
Showing 1-20 of 100 recently updated events: next 20 - 6/21
- US, Iranian Diplomats Have Brief, Cordial Meeting, March 31, 2009, posted by blackmax
- 4/9
- Bush Labels Iraq, Iran, and North Korea an ‘Axis of Evil,’ Ending Cooperation with Iran, January 29, 2002, posted by blackmax
- 11/18
- Defense Officials Attend Secret Backchannel Meeting with Iranians, December 9, 2001, posted by blackmax
- 10/7
- CIA Director: Vice President Should Ask Hussein to Increase Bombing of Iran, July 23, 1986, posted by blackmax
- 8/19
- McFarlane and North Visit Iran to Negotiate Arms for Hostages, Late May, 1986, posted by blackmax
- 8/11
- Iranians Seek More US Arms, Take More Hostages, September 19, 1986, posted by blackmax
- 7/2
- Vice President Cheney Travels to Pakistan to Meet with Pakistani President Musharraf, February 26, 2007, posted by Paul
- 12/30
- Bush Warns of ‘Consequences’ to Iran if It Continues Working on Nukes, June 19, 2007, posted by blackmax
- 12/30
- National Intelligence Estimate Finds Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program Halted Since 2003, December 3, 2007, posted by blackmax
- 12/21
- Bush Orders Pentagon to Draw Up Plans to Bomb Iran, 2006, posted by blackmax
- 12/21
- State Department: No Plans to Open Diplomatic Contacts with Iran, October 6, 2005, posted by blackmax
- 12/21
- Britain Accuses Iran of Helping Transfer Technology to Iraq’s Mahdi Army, October 5, 2005, posted by blackmax
- 12/21
- Women’s Organizations Protest Britain’s Opposition of Iranian Nuclear Program, October 3, 2005, posted by blackmax
- 12/21
- Iran Will Not Withdraw from Gas Deal with India, September 28, 2005, posted by blackmax
- 12/21
- Britain: No Plans to Attack Iran, September 28, 2005, posted by blackmax
- 12/21
- Rice Wants China, Russia, India to Join in Sanctions Against Iran, September 10, 2005, posted by blackmax
- 12/21
- State Department Official: Iran’s Energy Contracts with China Escalate Tensions With US, September 6, 2005, posted by blackmax
- 12/21
- Kurdish Activist Killed by Iranian Security, July 9, 2005, posted by blackmax
- 12/21
- British Consortium to Build Iranian Gas Refinery, June 23, 2005, posted by blackmax
- 12/21
- Pro-Monarchist Iranians Arrested, June 17, 2005, posted by blackmax
Showing 1-20 of 100 recently updated events: next 20
The Bush administration appears determined to topple the theocratic regime in Iran, which has been in power since the 1979 overthrow of the US-backed Pahlavi monarchy. Rather than have a repeat of the disastrous occupation in Iraq, the Bush administration seems to favor a regime-change strategy that rests on the promotion of instability in Iran in order to trigger an internal coup that would replace the current regime with a leadership more favorable to US interests.
The Bush administration’s official reason for confronting Iran is that the country has a nuclear weapons program. Under this pretext, the administration has moved forward with plans that could eventually lead to either US covert interference in Iran’s politics or direct military strikes that would weaken Iran’s military to the point that dissident groups could move in, rally public support and replace the government.
While the rationale for a nuclear-free region may appear sound on the surface there are indications that the United States’ confrontation with Iran has more to do with Iran’s growing role as a regional power. Recently, Iran has signed on to a number of powerful alliances in the region. In 2005, it joined Pakistan and India in an observer status role to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). (The SCO is a group of countries that includes China, Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan who are developing strategies to limit US hegemony in the region.) Iran has also formed several economic partnerships with the member-states of the SCO as well as with Japan, Indonesia, Pakistan, and India—countries that may be unwilling to support a US intervention that might ultimately threaten their energy security.
At stake is control over the energy supplies of China, Japan, and the countries of Southeast Asia. If the US emerges as the winner in this geopolitical struggle, it will gain substantial political and economic leverage over this region.
If anyone is interested in contributing to this project, please contact us.
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