US-Iran History: How We Got Here

The US-Iran History: How We Got Here – Second Edition

On February 28, 2026, US and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes on Iran. Within hours, missiles were flying across the Middle East, shipping lanes were threatened, and the world was asking the same question it always asks at moments like this: how did we get here?

This book answers that question.

Book One in the How We Got Here series, The US-Iran History traces the full arc of one of the most consequential and least understood conflicts of the modern era. Written in a clear, conversational, human-centered style, it walks readers through the decisions, consequences, and human experiences that transformed two countries from Cold War allies into adversaries – and explains not just what happened, but why, and how each decision made the next one harder to avoid.

This fully revised and updated Second Edition covers events through February 2026, including the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and its documented connection to Iran, the regional proxy activation that followed, Iran's first-ever direct military strike on Israeli territory, the 2025 strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, and the escalation that brought the conflict to its most dangerous point in decades.

This edition covers:

The 1901 oil concession and the system of Western extraction that set the stage for everything that followed The 1953 US and UK-backed coup that removed Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister – and why Iranians never forgot it The rise of the Shah, SAVAK, and the Cold War logic that kept Washington backing a losing bet The Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, and what the people who made the revolution actually fought for versus what they got The hostage crisis told from both sides The origins of Islamism, from the Muslim Brotherhood to the Islamic Republic Iran's proxy network – Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, Iraqi militias – and the architecture behind it The Iran-Iraq War, Iran-Contra, and the moral center of the US-Iran relationship The nuclear program, the NPT, the JCPOA, and why a nuclear-armed Iran is not the same as a nuclear-armed Israel October 7, 2023 – the attack, Iran's role, and the regional war that followed The 2025 strikes and the February 2026 escalation that opened this book Perfect for readers interested in:

US-Iran relations and Middle Eastern history Geopolitics and modern conflict International relations and political systems Understanding the news without needing a background in foreign policy Accessible to both younger readers and adults, this is not a textbook. It is history explained through context, consequence, and human experience.

Also available in the How We Got Here series: The Israel-Palestine War · The Islamic Republic Proxy Model · How American Politics Became Identity · Islam in the West · Becoming a Socialist

Coming Soon: The American Spirit – How Hardship Forged the American Character