FROM THE ARCHIVES: U.S.-Iran Relations

A father holds his child as they toss a coin donation for the local mosque during a celebration in a southern Tehran neighborhood, Dec. 16, 1997. The celebration was in honor of the birthday of Imam Mahdi, or “Hidden Imam,” a 9th century saint that Shiite Muslims believe will return at the end of the time to restore justice to the world.
A father holds his child as they toss a coin donation for the local mosque during a celebration in a southern Tehran neighborhood, Dec. 16, 1997. The celebration was in honor of the birthday of Imam Mahdi, or "Hidden Imam," a 9th century saint that Shiite Muslims believe will return at the end of the time to restore justice to the world. Enric Marti / AP Photo
A father holds his child as they toss a coin donation for the local mosque during a celebration in a southern Tehran neighborhood, Dec. 16, 1997. The celebration was in honor of the birthday of Imam Mahdi, or “Hidden Imam,” a 9th century saint that Shiite Muslims believe will return at the end of the time to restore justice to the world.
A father holds his child as they toss a coin donation for the local mosque during a celebration in a southern Tehran neighborhood, Dec. 16, 1997. The celebration was in honor of the birthday of Imam Mahdi, or "Hidden Imam," a 9th century saint that Shiite Muslims believe will return at the end of the time to restore justice to the world. Enric Marti / AP Photo

FROM THE ARCHIVES: U.S.-Iran Relations

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Just last week, the U.S. was on the brink of war with Iran. But discussions of U.S. foreign policy toward Iran have been ongoing for decades. We had one of those discussions on Worldview back in September of 1997. ​That year, Mohammed Khatami was elected president of Iran and called for dialogue with the American people. Worldview‘s Jerome McDonnell spoke with Stephan Richter, writer and publisher of the Transatlantic Futures Weekly Wire, a global strategy newsletter based out of Washington, D.C., 22 years ago. They discussed Iran’s foreign and economic relations and Richter’s theory that the U.S. was in the midst of incrementally changing its foreign policy toward Iran.

Special thanks to the WBEZ Archives Team for cataloging 25 years of Worldview and making this segment possible.