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Period: to
Islamic Revolution
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Reza Khan seizes power.
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Reza Khan becomes Prime Minister.
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Parliament votes to make Reza Khan ruler of Iran.
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Reza Khan crowns Reza Shah Pahlavi and Mohammad Reza becomes Crown Prince.
Mohammad Reza is crowned Prince. -
Period: to
Relative Peace
Iran enters a stable period. -
Russian Occupation
Russia occupies Iran and deposes the Shah in favor of his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. -
Razmara Assassination
Ali Razmara is assassinated 9 months after becoming Prime Minister and is succeeded by Mohammad Mossadeq. -
Power Struggle between the Shah and Mossadeq
Parliament votes to nationalise oil and Britain places an embargo on Iran. This causes a power struggle between the Shah and Mossadeq. In the end, the Shah is forced to flee the country. -
Iranian Coup d'etat
Great Britain and America orchestrate a coup d'etat in Iran which Mohammad Mossadeq is overthrown and replaced by General Fazlollah Zahedi, who becomes prime minister, and Mohammad Reza who becomes the Shah once more. -
White Revolution
The Shah starts the "White Revolution" which modernizes and westernizes Iran. He becomes dependent on his secret police which enforce his harsh policies and control those opposed to his campaigns. -
Period: to
The Shah continues his policies throughout this time period.
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Shah disagrees with the clergy and his people
The Shah's policies alienate the clergy which leads to mass riots, strikes and demonstrations against his strict rule. The Shah uses martial law to break them up. -
Khomeini returns to Iran.
Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran after his exile to Iraq and France for opposing the Shah. He leads a militaristic movement and overthroes the Shah. -
52 US embassaries held captive
Islamic extremists capture the US Embassy and hold 52 Americans hostage. They demand the extradtion of the Shah so that he can face trial in Iran. -
Abolhasan Bani-Sadr is elected the first President of the Islamic Republic.
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The exiled Shah dies in Egypt.
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Iran invades Iraq.
This starts the Iran-Iraq revolution which lasts for 8 years. -
US hostages are released ending 444 days in captivity.
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Bani-Sadr is released and retreats to France.
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US mistakenly shoots down Iranian aircraft
290 passengers and the crew of an Iranian air bus were shot down by USS Vincennes. -
Iran accepts a ceasefire with Iraq under the Geneva convention ending the Iran-Iraq war.
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Khomeini dies and Khamene'i is appointed the new supreme leader.
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US releases 567 million dollars of frozen Iranian assets.
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Iran and Iraq resume diplomacy
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The United States imposed trade with Iran.
The US imposes oil and trade with Iran over Iran's supposed efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. -
Khatami wins presidential vote
Mohammad Khatami wins 70% of the presidential vote, beating out the conservative party. -
Iran deploys troops on Afghanistan border after Taliban admits killing Iranian diplomats.
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Students vs. Security
Pro-democracy students clash with security forces leading to 6 days of rioting and more than 1000 student arrests. -
Liberals wrest control of Parliament from conservatives.
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Khatami re-elected.
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Axis of Evil
George W. Bush describes Iran as an "axis of evil" and it is condemned by conservatives and reformists alike. -
Russia aids Iran
Russia begins building a nuclear reactor in Bushehr despite US objections. -
Student Protests
Thousands of students protest against the new clerical regime. -
Conservative Parliament once more.
Conservatives regain parliament through elections because many reformists candidates were disqualified before the elections by the strict Council of Guardians. -
Iran suspends nuclear program.
Iran agrees to suspend its uranium enrichment program in a deal with the EU. -
Iran fails to halt nuclear program.
Iran fails to meet the deadline that the UN has provided for halting its nuclear program. -
Iran and nuclear weapons.
Iran says it can develop a nuclear weapon within 3-8 years. -
Period: to
Talks of Peace
Iran declines many invitations of diplomacy and "one on one" talks with US President Barack Obama. -
Iran Denies US
