Why Does US-Iran Hostility Persist?

In this episode of The History-Politics Podcast: Putting the Past to Work, host David Myers speaks with Dalia Dassa Kaye on why U.S.–Iran relations constitute the longest-running hostility in American foreign policy. Dalia argues that while Iranian actions and the regime’s post-1979 anti-American ideology are central to the conflict, U.S. policy narratives have also played a decisive role. Repeatedly framing Iran as a permanent rogue state has narrowed the American policy imagination, raised the domestic political costs of engagement, and foreclosed opportunities to test alternative approaches. Across administrations, Republican and Democratic alike, there has often been strategic interest in easing hostility, yet entrenched discourse, fear of appearing “soft,” and political risk have consistently blocked change.

Dr. Kaye emphasizes that trauma from the 1979 hostage crisis alone cannot explain policy rigidity, noting moments such as Iran-Contra and post-9/11 cooperation that reveal recurring, if fragile, openings shaped by strategic necessity. Turning to recent developments, she traces today’s accelerated escalation to the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal, the regional consequences of October 7th, and the June 2025 Israel–Iran confrontation, arguing that these events fundamentally altered deterrence attempts without producing clear paths to stability.

Dr. Dalia Dassa Kaye is a senior fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations and director of its Initiative on Regional Security Architectures. A life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Dalia is an internationally recognized expert on geopolitics and Middle East policy. She has received numerous awards and held previous positions at an array of research and public policy institutions, including as a Fulbright Schuman visiting scholar at Lund University. She is the author of dozens of articles and policy reports, as well as three books, including most recently Enduring Hostility: The Making of America’s Iran Policy (Stanford University Press, 2026).