Iran and the West a history of tensions

Iranhas been the thorn in the side ofthe West for decades, and tensions have only ramped up in recent years, as Iran continues to pursue a nuclear program that it insists is benign but that the West sees as a seriousthreat to global security.

Iran'ssupport of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his almost two-year-longcampaign to crush opposition forces trying to overthrowhis regimehas alsopeggedit against Western countries, which are supporting theSyrian opposition.

It also remainslocked in anescalating war of words and sabre-rattlingwith its biggest enemy, Israel. Israel has ramped up its rhetoric in the past year andrepeatedly urged its Western allies to get tougher with Iran andprepare to launchpre-emptive military strikesagainst its nuclear facilitiesin order toslow down what it says isa rapidly progressing nuclear program.

The following is a timeline ofkey milestones in the history ofIran and its relations with the West.

Quick links

• 2010-1013: escalating tensions with the West
• 2007-2009: election protests
• 2000-2006: reformers make gains; Bam earthquake
• 1981-1998: death of Khomeini; Khatami elected
• 1979-1980: Islamic Revolution
• 1921-1978: Pahlavi dynasty

Space monkeys, Syria

Feb. 4, 2013 Saeed Jalili, the head of Iran's National Security Council, publiclycondemnsIsrael's air strike against a convoy of anti-aircraft missiles in Syria that was suspected of being intended for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Jalili made the comments during a three-day visit to Syria. He threatened retaliation against Israel for attackingIran's ally and reiteratedhis country'ssupport for the al-Assad regime, which has been embroiled in a bloody civil war against opposition forces that want al-Assad to step down.

Jan. 28, 2013 Iranian officials announce that the country's space agency haslaunched a monkey into space. The move was intended to help Iran eventually carry out a manned space flight. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejadhas saidhe would like to be the country's first astronaut.

January 2013 Iranianfilmmaker Ataollah Salmanian announces that he has written a screenplay for afilmto counter the"ahistoric" Hollywood film Argo, which tells the story of 20 American hostageswho escaped Iran in 1979 with the help of the Canadian ambassador after the U.S. embassy in Tehran was occupiedduring the revolution.Iran's minister of culture and Islamic guidance, Mohammad Hosseini, called Argo, which was banned in Iran,"an offensive act" driven by "evil intentions."

To strike or not to strike

Sept. 27,2012Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuappears before the United NationsGeneral Assembly to lay out his case for military action against Iran, which he said was nearing the final stages of being able to enrich uranium to the level necessary for building a nuclear bomb. "The relevant question is not when Iran will get the bomb. The relevant question is at what stage can we no longer stop Iran from getting the bomb," he told the UN. Netanyahu hasclashed with U.S. President Barack Obamaover the issue of pre-emptive strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities because Obama and his administrationfavour a diplomatic solution and are not yet prepared to abandon this option. Canada, meanwhile,has been more favourable to Netanyahu's position.

Sept. 7, 2012 Canadasuspends diplomatic relationswith Iran and announces that will will expel Iranian diplomats from the country. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says the government has added Iran to the list of countries considered state sponsors of terrorism under the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act. The government identified threemain reasonsfor its decision to break off relations:Iran's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, its failure to comply with UN resolutions on its nuclear program and its threats against Israel.

March 5, 2012 Strains in the historically close relationship between the U.S. and Israel come to the fore during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu'svisit to the U.S.Netanyahu stresses that Israel must remain "the master of its fate" and has a right to launch pre-emptive strikes against Iran if it feels its security is threatened by Iran's nuclear aspirations. Obama reiterates that the U.S. has Israel's back but clearly signals that it favours a diplomatic solution. A few days earlier, Obamatells The Atlanticmagazine that while the U.S. is prepared to strike against Iran if necessary, military action at this time would be premature.

March 4, 2012 Conservative opponents of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejadwin a majority of seatsin the parliamentary elections. The country's legislature cannot influence key foreign and security policy matters like the nuclear program but can affect the election of Ahmadinejad's successor. Ahmadinejad had clashed with his conservative rivals when he tried to change the political structure that subordinates the legislature and president to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other religious leaders. Observers interpreted the election results as a show of support for the political status quo and a rejection of Western pressureon Iran to scale back its nuclear program.

Jan. 11, 2012 A car bomb in Tehrankills a senior Iranian scientistwho worked at the Natanz uranium enrichmentfacility in central Iran.Iranian officialsblame the bomb on the U.S. and Israel.

Tougher sanctions

Dec. 26, 2011The U.S.warns Iranthat it will take strong action ifit makes good on its threat to close off the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, a vital transportation route for about one-sixth of the world's oil.Iran's threatcame in response to a tightening of Western economic sanctions against Iran.

Dec. 16, 2011Russia's customs agency says that radioactive metal from the luggage of an Iranian passenger bound for Tehran had been seized at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport after a radiation alert went on. Gauges showed that radiation levels were 20 times higher than normal, the agency says.

Dec. 1, 2011The U.S. Senate passes bill allowing the U.S. president to bar foreign financial institutionsthat do business with the Iranian central bank from having corresponding bank accounts in the U.S. If enacted, the legislation, which is opposed by U.S. President Barack Obama,would go into force in July 2012.

Nov. 28, 2011Hardline supporters of the Iranian regime ransacktheBritish embassy in Tehran after the U.K. freezes $1.6 billion in Iranian assets and bars U.K. financial institutions from doing business with Iranian banks. In response, Britain cuts diplomatic ties with Iran and expels Iranian diplomats from the U.K. The attacks are believed to have been carried out by the Basij militia, the youth wing ofIran'selite military force, the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Nov. 8, 2011 The International Atomic Energy Agency releases areport suggesting Iranhas beenprocuring equipment and conducting tests for the purpose of developing a nuclear weapons program. Several countriesmainly the U.S., the U.K. and Canada react by imposing financial sanctions against Iran, freezing assets and barring financial trade with the country. The EU, however, falls short of barring imports of oil from Iran, which has some of the largest oil reserves in the world and is a key supplier to European countries such as Greece.

Oct. 2011Two Iranians are charged in U.S. federal court with plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S.One of the men is reportedly a member of the Quds Force, an offshoot of the Revolutionary Guards that carries out foreign operations.

Sept. 2011 Two Americans convicted of spying in Iran and sentenced to eight years in prison are released on bail of around $500,000 US each and return to the United States. The two men and a third U.S. citizen were arrested on the Iran-Iraq border in July 2009. They said they were hiking and had crossed over into Iran accidentally. The third accused was released in September 2009, also on bail of $500,000 US. The 2011 release is seen as an effort to ease Iran's tensions with the West ahead of a meeting ofthe UN General Assembly.

Sept. 2011Iran announces that its Russian-built Bushehr nuclear plant has been connected to the national power grid after decades of delay. Construction on Bushehr, billed as the Middle East's first commercial nuclear plant, had first begun under the shah in 1975, but the project was stalled by the revolution, the Iran-Iraq war and opposition from the West.

Feb. 2011 Iran sends two warships through the Suez Canal on their way to a training exercise in Syria, a move seen by many as a symbolic act of provocation aimed at Israel. It is believed to be the first time Iranian warships have been in the canal since the 1979 revolution.

Mid-Feb. 2011 Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousaviand Mehdi Karroubiare placed under house arrest.

Cyberattack

Sept. 2010A destructive computer worm known as Stuxnet disablesseveral centrifuges at the Natanz uranium-enrichment plant in Iran. The complexity of the cyberattack suggests it was orchestrated by at least one nation state and several experts believe it was a joint action by Israel and the U.S. intended to hobble Iran's nuclear program.

June 2010 The UN Security Councilimposesits fourth round of sanctions on Iran since 2006 after the IAEA releases a report that says Iran has enough nuclear material to build two weapons. Brazil and Turkey vote against the resolution; Lebanon abstains.

May 2010Iranmakes a deal, brokered by Brazil and Turkey,to send someof itslow-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for fuel for its research reactor. The move falls short of satisfying Western powers, sinceIran says it won't prevent itfrom continuing its own enrichment program.

Jan. 2010The U.S. announces it will dispatch Patriot defensive missiles toQatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait, keep two ships in the Persian Gulf anddeploy forces to protect oil installations in Saudi Arabiain order to deter a possible attack by Iran onU.S. allies in the Gulf.

Jan. 2010 Nuclear physicist Masoud Ali-Mohammadi is assassinated in Tehran. Iran blames the bomb attack on foreign agents wanting to undermine Iran's nuclear program. Members of the Iranian oppositionsay it was meant as a warning to those who, like Ali-Mohammadi, had campaigned for opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousaviin the last election.

The almost-revolution

Nov.2009 The IAEA passes a resolution condemning Iran for not revealing sooner that it was building a second nuclear enrichment site, locatednear the city of Qom. Its main enrichment site is at Natanz. The agency says the fact it had lied about the Qom site, which the IAEA said was begun as early as 2002,indicates Iran may be hiding other enrichment facilities.

June 2009 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defeats popular opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousaviin a disputed presidential election. Massive protests erupt questioning the legitimacy of the election results. The regime's crackdown against the protests, considered to be the biggest show of opposition in 30 years and dubbed the Green Movement, attracts international attentionafter the death of a female protester named Neda Agha-Soltan is captured on video and posted on YouTube. Between 30 and 80 protesters are believed to have been killed andmore than 1,000 wounded.

May 2009A U.S. State Department report dubs Iran the"most active state sponsor of terrorism."

Nov. 2008 Ahmadinejad congratulates Barack Obamaon his win in the U.S.presidentialelection. It'san unprecedented move for an Iranian leader.

July 2008 Iran tests a long-range Shabab-3missile that it claims could reach Israel.

March 2008Ahmadinejad visits Iraq, the first Iranian leader to do so in an official capacity since the revolution. While there, he calls for the withdrawal of foreign forces.

March 2008Conservatives win a two-thirds majority in elections that see 40 per cent of candidates disqualified from running by Iran's Council of Guardians.

Oct. 2007The U.S. imposes new sanctions intended tocut off access to the U.S. banking system to companies owned by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which the U.S. accuses of supporting Iraqi insurgents. The sanctions are seen as the toughest since the revolution.

June 2007Riots erupt afterIran introducesfuel rationing amid fears of a new round ofsanctions by the United Nations. The UN'snuclear watchdog agency had announced a month earlier that Iran was producing nuclear fuel and had more than 1,300 centrifuge machines that would enable it to develop nuclear weapons within three to eight years.

March 2007 Fifteen British sailors and marines are held for 13 days after being captured by Iranian authorities in the Shatt al-Arab river between Iraq and Iran.

Start of Ahmadinejad era

Dec. 2006 The UN Security Council votes to adopt sanctions on sales of nuclear materials and technology to Iran.

April 2006Iran announces it has successfully enriched uranium atafacilitynear the city ofNatanz in central Iran.

Sept. 2005 The IAEA finds Iran had not taken adequate measures with regard to the safeguarding, processingand use ofnuclear material and was in violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

June 2005Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the hardline major of Tehran, wins presidential elections, dealing a blow to the reformers who had gained some ground in the last election.

Nov. 2004In an effort to avoid possible UN sanctions, Iran agrees to suspend its uranium enrichmentactivities after talks with ambassadors from Germany, Britain and France.

Nov. 2004 Conservatives win Iran's parliamentary elections, rolling back gains made by reformers just four years earlier.

Dec. 2003A devastating earthquake hits the southeastern city of Bam, killing more than 30,000 people.

Nov. 2003Iran agrees to suspends it uranium enrichment program and allow tougher UN inspections of its nuclear facilities.

Jan. 2002 U.S. President George W. Bush refers to Iran as one of three countries, along with Iraq and North Korea, that constitute an "axis of evil arming to threaten the peace of the world" in his first state of the union message.

June 2001 Khatami is re-elected president.

Feb. 2000 Reformers make sweeping gains in the parliamentary elections, winning 170 of 290 seats. It is the first time since 1979 that the hardliners lose controlof the legislature.

Khomeini dies

Aug.-Sept. 1998Eight Iranian diplomats and a journalist are killedby Taliban fightersin Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. Iranpositions thousands oftroops along the Iran-Afghanistan border in response.

May 1997 Mohammad Khatami, a moderate cleric and former cultural minister, is elected president on a reformist platform in a surprising upset. Despite energizing a large portion of the youth vote, Khatami was not able to push through his reform agenda during his two terms in office and was largely seen as anineffective president.

May 1995U.S. adopts sanctions banning trade with and investment in Iran, in response to the ramping up of Iran'snuclear program and its supportof organizations the U.S. considers terrorist entitiessuch as Hezbollah and Hamas.

Aug. 1990Iraq invades Kuwait, whose borders Iraq had never accepted and which had refused to forgive Iraq's debt. Iran remains neutral in the conflict.

June 3, 1989Ayatollah Khomeini dies and is replaced by then president Ali Khamenei.

Feb. 14, 1989Ayatollah Khomeini issues a religious fatwacalling for the death ofBritish author Salman Rushdie over his book The SatanicVerses, which the Iranian regime deems blasphemous against Islam's prophet, Muhammad. Britain suspends diplomatic relations with Iranand offers protection to Rushdie. The fatwa was eased somewhat in 1998 under the more reformist government of President Mohammad Khatami,but more hardline leaders renewed calls for the writer's death in the late 2000s.

July 1988Iran and Iraq sign a UN-brokered ceasefire agreement, ending eight years of war.

July 1988 A U.S. warship patrolling the Persian Gulf mistakes an Iranian passenger jet for an F-14 fighter and shoots it down, killing 290 passengers and crew. Iran vows to "avenge the blood of our martyrs."

1987 British charg d'affaires Edward Chaplin is kidnapped in Tehran by revolutionary guards and held for 24 hours over Britain's perceived support of Iraq. The UK withdrawsall staff.

1985In what became known as the Iran-Contra Affair, the U.S. made a deal to secretly sell weapons to Iran in exchange for the release ofhostages being held by the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran needed the weapons to fund its war with Iraq, and the U.S., which was officiallyforbidden from selling arms to Iran, diverted part of the secret funds to CIA-backed guerillas in Nicaragua known as the Contras, who were trying to overthrow the leftist Sandinista regime.In the end only three U.S. hostages of several dozen were released and three more were taken not long after.

Jan. 20, 1981The 52 remaining U.S. embassyhostages are released on the day of U.S. President Ronald Reagan's inauguration.

Hostage crises, Iran-Contra

1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. In September 1980, Iraqi forces invaded Iran, whose new post-revolutionIslamist governmentwas seen as a threat by Iraq's president, Saddam Hussein. The invasionset off a brutal eight-year-long conflictthat devastated both countries and ultimately ended in a draw. Hundreds of thousands of people diedpossibly as many as 1.5 million.The U.S. under the Reagan administrationsided with Iraq in the conflict, sharing intelligence and providing food credits and funds.

July 1980The shah dies of cancer in exile in Egypt.

May 1980Iranian embassy in London is attacked by Iraqi-backed opponents of the Khomeini regime who take several hostages. After six days and the death of one of thehostages, British SAS forces storm the building. One hostage and five gunmen are killed in the raid.

April 25, 1980A secret attempt tofree the U.S. embassy hostages fails spectacularly. Two of theAmerican helicopters charged with carrying outthe rescue run into engine trouble and a third is damagedduring a landing. The mission is aborted, but while departing two helicopters crash, killing eight U.S. soldiers. The incident is a majorblow for the administration of U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who suffers a massive defeat in the presidential election a few months later.

April 7, 1980 The U.S. cuts all diplomatic ties with Iran.

Jan. 1980 Abolhasan Bani-Sadr, an economist and anti-shah activist who worked alongside Khomeini in exile in France and returned with him after the revolution, is elected president of the new republic. A year and a half later, he is impeached after criticizing some ministers, warning of needed reforms to the economy and armed forcesand opposing the U.S. embassy hostage taking.Hefled to France after Khomeini tried to have him arrested for treason.

Nov. 14, 1979 U.S. President Jimmy Carter freezes all Iranian assets in U.S. banks and their subsidiaries abroad.

Nov. 4 1979 Islamic revolutionaries take more than 60 Americans hostage at the U.S. embassy in Tehran, demanding theextradition ofthe shah, who was in the U.S. undergoingcancer treatment, to Iran to stand trial. Some hostages are released but 52 remain heldfor 444 days.

April 1, 1979 The newIslamic Republic is declared after a national referendum on whether or not to make Iran an Islamic republic. A committee of experts is convened to draft the new constitution, and it is this committee,made up in large part of Shia clerics and members of the Islamic Republican Party,that establishes the cleric-dominated system of rule and declares Khomeini the first supreme leader of the new theocratic republic.

Feb. 1979 Exiled Islamic religious leaderAyatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Iran and assumes control of the country.

Jan. 16, 1979With opposition getting fiercer, the shah and his wifeflee to Egypt.

The shah clamps down

Sept. 1978 The shah imposes martial law in the face of growing demonstrations and strikes opposing his authoritarian rule.

1968 Iran signs the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Nov. 1964 Khomeini is sent into exile, from where he continues todenounce theshah through writings and lectures.

June 1963 Ruhollah Khomeini, a Shia scholar and vocal critic of the Western-backed regime of the shah, is arrestedafter making a speechdenouncing the shah and U.S. influence in Iran.

Jan. 1963The shah launches a series of economic, landand social reforms aimed at Westernizing the country and known as the White Revolution. Those who oppose the reforms are ruthlessly silenced with the aid of the shah's secret police force,SAVAK.

1953 After a failed attempt to dismiss Prime Minister MuhammadMossadegh, the shahflees to Rome. A few days later,the U.S. and U.K. orchestrate acoup that ousts Mossadeghandinstalls the shah as the new leader, hoping he'll serve as a bulwark against Soviet influence in the Middle East

1951 Prime Minister Muhammad Mossadegh oversees the nationalization ofthe oil industry, dominated by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.Britain responds by imposing a trade embargo on Iran.

1950Prime Minister Ali Razmara is assassinated and replaced by nationalist Muhammad Mossadegh, a government ministerduring the Qajar era and married to Qajari princess Zia al-Saltaneh.

1941Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi takes power after his father is forced to abdicate by the Allied powers over his too-cozy relations with Germany.

1921-1941Reza Khan, an officer of the Persian Cossack Brigade, leads a coup against the Qajar dynasty and in 1925 declares himself the shah and establishes the Pahlavi dynasty.In the following years, hechangesthe name of the countryfrom Persia to Iran and pursues a program of secularization.