For years, relations between the U.S. and the Middle Eastern country of Iran have been rife with tension. Since 1979, when religious fundamentalists took control of Iran's political system and declared the country an Islamic republic, the two nations have had no diplomatic ties and have frequently clashed over political and strategic differences.
Although the U.S. and Iran have never gone to war, their heated rivalry has occasionally flared into hostile rhetoric and violence. U.S. officials have long considered Iran a "rogue state"--a blatant sponsor of terrorism, a perpetrator of human ri…
