Читать книгу Global Issues 2021 Edition - Группа авторов - Страница 33

530 B.C.-A.D. 1501 Persian Empire falls to a succession of foreign invaders; Iran adopts Shiite Islam.

332 B.C. Alexander the Great conquers the Persian Empire, which stretched from modern-day Bulgaria in the west to northern India in the east and Egypt in the south. A succession of rulers will try to restore the Persian Empire to its original boundaries, but it never regains its immense size.

636 Islamic rule begins after Arabs conquer Persia, which stretches from modern Georgia in the west to western Afghanistan in the east.

1501 Persia’s Safavid dynasty declares Shiism the state religion.

1900s-1948 Persia becomes constitutional monarchy; after discovery of oil, Britain and Russia occupy the country during world wars.

1907 Democratic reforms establish a constitutional monarchy, under which the shah, or king, shares power with an elected government headed by a prime minister.

1908 British discover oil in southern Persia and form the Anglo-Persian Oil Co.

1914-18 Persia declares neutrality in World War I, but is occupied by Russian and British troops to prevent Germany from capturing its oil fields.

1921 Military commander Reza Khan seizes power in British-backed coup.

1925 Khan is crowned Shah Reza Pahlavi, and his oldest son, Mohammad Reza, is proclaimed crown prince.

1935 Persia is renamed Iran.

1941-45 British and Russians again occupy Iran during World War II because of Shah Reza’s pro-German sympathies; Reza abdicates; his pro-British son is crowned shah.

1950s-1960s The Iranian government nationalizes the oil industry, provoking a CIA coup.

1951 Lawyer Mohammed Mosaddegh is elected Iran’s 35th prime minister by parliament and nationalizes Iran’s oil industry. … Power struggle erupts between Mosaddegh and Shah Mohammad Reza.

1953 Shah dismisses Mosaddegh, sparking riots that force the shah to flee the country. … Mosaddegh, accused by Britain of having communist leanings, is overthrown in a coup orchestrated by the CIA and British intelligence; the shah returns.

1957 The shah creates the SAVAK secret police, which becomes notorious for torturing and killing dissenters.

1963-77 Shah undertakes modernization campaign and loosens restrictions on women; Iran becomes Cold War ally of the United States.

1978-1995 Islamic revolution transforms Iran into bitter U.S. foe.

1978-79 Iranian revolution, directed by ultraconservative cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini from exile in Paris, begins. Shah and family go into exile. … Khomeini returns, declares Islamic Republic. … Militants take 52 Americans hostage in U.S. Embassy; Washington severs diplomatic ties with Tehran.

1980-81 Iraq-Iran war begins. … Iran releases U.S. hostages after 444 days in captivity.

1982 After Israel invades Lebanon, Iran creates Shiite Hezbollah militia to resist Israeli occupation.

1983 Iran-backed Hezbollah militants launch truck-bomb attacks on U.S. Embassy and U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon, killing more than 300 people. The group also takes 25 American civilians in Lebanon hostage.

1985 To win the hostages’ release, Reagan administration secretly and illegally sells arms to Tehran, using payments to fund anti-communist guerrillas in Nicaragua.

1988-89 Iraq-Iran war ends in stalemate. … Khomeini dies; Ayatollah Ali Khamenei becomes Iran’s supreme leader.

1990-95 United States imposes sanctions on Iran over its alleged support for terrorism.

2000-2010 U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq enable Iran to extend its regional influence.

2001 After Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, a U.S.-led coalition invades Afghanistan to stamp out al Qaeda terrorist group, the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks; with Iranian help, Sunni extremist Taliban government is toppled in Kabul. … President George W. Bush ignores Iranian outreach for better relations.

2002 Bush brands Iran, Iraq and North Korea as an “axis of evil,” sparking outrage in Iran. … Tehran begins construction of its first nuclear reactor.

2003 U.S. invades Iraq, ousting Saddam Hussein, Iran’s Sunni archenemy. … Elections in Iraq bring Iranian-backed Shiite government to power, expanding Tehran’s influence there.

2007-10 After the International Atomic Energy Agency predicts Iran can develop a nuclear weapon within eight years, the United States imposes additional sanctions on Iran; the following year, the United Nations Security Council adds international sanctions.

2011-Present Iran accepts an international deal that lifts nuclear-related sanctions, but President Trump withdraws and reimposes sanctions.

2013 Iran and six world powers begin negotiations toward a nuclear accord.

2014 Shiite Houthi tribesmen in Yemen overthrow the government, prompting a Saudi-led military campaign to oust the rebels, who later align with Iran.

2015 Iran, the United States and five other nations sign the landmark Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action curtailing Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

2018 Trump withdraws the United States from the nuclear deal and reimposes tough sanctions on Iran, demanding Iran accept a far more stringent accord; Iran refuses.

2019 U.S.-Iran tensions spike after attacks on foreign tankers in the Persian Gulf, Iran’s downing of a U.S. drone and drone-and-missile strikes on Saudi oil facilities.