EPISODE · Jun 11, 2026
The Reset That Never Happened: US–Iran Relations in the 1990s
from Iran & America: A Century and Counting
After Khomeini's death, a reformist president reached out with a "Dialogue Among Civilizations." So why couldn't Washington and Tehran turn a thaw into a deal? Episode 7 explains the 1990s in a measured tone. The Clinton administration's "dual containment" boxed in both Iran and Iraq; a 1995 total embargo and the 1996 Iran–Libya Sanctions Act tightened the screws. A real opening flickered with the 1997 election of reformist Mohammad Khatami — but entrenched mistrust and hardliners in both capitals kept a softer rhetoric from becoming real diplomacy.
What this episode covers
After Khomeini's death, a reformist president reached out with a "Dialogue Among Civilizations." So why couldn't Washington and Tehran turn a thaw into a deal? Episode 7 explains the 1990s in a measured tone. The Clinton administration's "dual containment" boxed in both Iran and Iraq; a 1995 total embargo and the 1996 Iran–Libya Sanctions Act tightened the screws. A real opening flickered with the 1997 election of reformist Mohammad Khatami — but entrenched mistrust and hardliners in both capitals kept a softer rhetoric from becoming real diplomacy.
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The Reset That Never Happened: US–Iran Relations in the 1990s
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