In 1953 the CIA overthrew the democratic Iranian government, for one. Then there were numerous intrusions in Iran’s territorial waters in the 1980s, a certain A310 shootdown for which not even apologies let alone reparations were offered… Even though the US might not have planned an invasion of Iran in the past, you can’t deny that the US intentions could well have been percieved as hostile during, for example, the 1980s. And today just as well.
The A310 was on a scheduled flight within a commercial air corridor within Iranian territorial waters and was climbing and moving away at 385 knots from the USS Vincennes, which was at the same time illegally in Iranian territorial waters. The whole incident unfortunately (for the US) was captured on video and led to the death of 290 passengers-an event that is marked every year in Iran.
The US “regretted” the mistake but their spin (told by Chief of Joint Staffs Admiral Crowe) was that the airliner was on a hostile trajectory heading (= heading towards and descending-the complete opposite of the truth) for the missile cruiser and implied it could have been an Iranian F-14. They did not want to admit where they were, and bearing in mind it was 1988 around the time of the Iran-Iraq War, they did want to admit or apologise for their mistake.
Others have mentioned the possibility that Iraq was given a licence to invade Iran as “punishment” for the taking of the American hostages. Saddam invaded some 8 months after the hostages were released. Although both sides were being supplied during the war (!), Iraq did get the green light for purchasing US Boeing airliners and were given hundreds of millions of dollars in US credits.
After the installation by the US of an absolute Monarch, the Shah (both he and SAVAK, his secret police, were hated by his own people) in place of a democratically elected Government in 1953 (so much for spreading democracy by the Land of the Free!), it is small wonder that the US may have a hard time selling their “good guys” pitch in Iran.
Fortunately for the Americans, the clerics are not the most popular with the Iranians and they might find a “regime change” can be effected without the need to resort to an invasion. Despite their unpopularity, any “tainting” of a movement against the clerics with the US would of course result in uniting the Iranians against the “common” enemy as happened when Iraq invaded Iran. Being Shias with a special regard for the murdered Fourth Caliph Imam Ali, they celebrate the notion of “martyrdom” and would welcome an “Operation Iranian Freedom” by the US!
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