14. The United States Supported the Pahlavi Shah
Not surprisingly, one of the biggest supporters of the Western-friendly shah was the United States of America. In 1856, the United States welcomed Iran’s first ambassador, Mirza Abolhasan Shirazi. In 1883, Samuel G. W. Benjamin became the first American ambassador to Iran. The two countries were friendly with each other, but there was no large-scale diplomacy or other political interactions before World War II. Even through all the political turmoil in 1906 and later 1911, when Iran was undergoing its Constitutional Revolution, the two countries remained cordial. The United States was not seeking to expand its imperialism to this remote country in Central Asia, and Iran was content to be left alone.
One of the keys to fighting and winning World War II was oil because the new heavy weaponry used in the war – things like tanks and airplanes – required large amounts of fuel. Iran had massive oil reserves, and its possession of this commodity forever changed its relations with the West. Additionally, the Cold War – which effectively began after the end of World War II ¬- polarized the world between the capitalists and the communists. Iran’s geography made it ideal for positioning American forces close to the Soviet border. America quickly realized the strategic importance of Iran and cozied up to the shah.