The U.S. And Iran: What Went Wrong? Episodes
The United States and Iran have been at odds for decades. But at one time, Iranians viewed the United States as a refreshing and inspiring alternative to both their own corrupt and incompetent ruling dynasty and the predatory imperial powers that tried to subjugate them -- and Iranians even viewed Americans as heroes who tried to help Iran liberate itself and modernize. In this series, we delve into the history of the United States and Iran from the 19th century to today and trace how a once-positive relationship went so wrong.
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Sept. 29, 2026
The U.S. and Iran: What Went Wrong? - The Third Way
Intelligence professional and Substack author Sharon Bibee joins us for this episode, which kicks off our new series "The U.S. and Iran: What Went Wrong." We begin with a discussion of the U.S. response to events in what was then Qajar Persia from 1800 to 1920, a time when Iran was a pawn in the struggle for dominance in the region between the British and Russia Empires. American missionaries play a positive role in our story, and we meet two Americans -- missionary and teacher Howard Baskervill...