As tensions between Washington and Tehran reach a level rarely observed since the end of the Cold War in 2026, one idea keeps resurfacing in public debate: are we witnessing the birth of a new conflict? The answer is no. What is happening today is not a break, but the culmination of a long historical chain that began over seventy years ago.
Reducing the current confrontation to a simple reaction to recent events ignores the deep layers of an antagonism that has built up over the decades, fueled by interference, diplomatic breaks, sanctions, and regional rivalries.
An ancient conflict, rooted in history:
To understand the contemporary crisis, one must go back to 1953. That year, a coup orchestrated by the United States and the United Kingdom overthrew Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, guilty of nationalizing oil. This foundational episode instills a lasting mistrust of Washington, perceived as a power ready to manipulate Iranian political destiny to preserve its energy interests.
A long period then opens during which the United States supports the Shah, an authoritarian leader whose political police, the SAVAK, violently represses the opposition. For a large part of the Iranian population, the American shadow looms over these years of repression.
The break occurs in 1979, with the Islamic Revolution. The hostage-taking at the American embassy in Tehran seals the end of diplomatic relations. Since then, the two countries have evolved in a tense face-to-face, marked by sanctions, accusations of terrorism, and successive crises: Iran–Iraq war, Iran-Contra affair, standoff over the nuclear program, and then the American withdrawal from the Vienna agreement in 2018.
A recent escalation, but not a beginning
If the roots of the conflict are ancient, the years 2025–2026 mark a spectacular acceleration. Tensions reach a critical threshold when American strikes target Iranian installations. One of these leads to the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, an event described by many observers as a major turning point in the contemporary history of the Middle East.
The Iranian response is swift: attacks against targets in the Persian Gulf, disruptions of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz — a strategic passage for global oil supply — and an increase in actions carried out by groups allied with Tehran in the region.
To this is added an explosive context: persistent rivalry between Iran and Israel, American military presence in the Gulf, and chronic instability in the Middle East. All these elements transform an ancient hostility into open confrontation.
A structural mistrust:
What makes this conflict so enduring is the combination of two dynamics:
of deep-rooted, almost identity-related causes tied to history, collective memory, and perceptions of foreign interference;
immediate triggers that regularly rekindle the embers and prevent any normalization.
Far from being a sudden confrontation, the current crisis is the result of a stacking of political traumas, antagonistic regional strategies, and missed opportunities.
Understanding this historical depth excuses nothing, but sheds light on everything: the USA–Iran confrontation is not an accident, but a trajectory