Commentary
In a little less than 50 years, Iran has come full circle, and so has U.S. policy toward Iran. Venerable readers will remember that President Carter shamefully assisted in evicting the Shah of Iran, possibly the most enlightened ruler Persia has ever had, though not without his faults. Someday we will know exactly what it was that incoming President Reagan, when he was inaugurated in 1981, told the Iranian government would be the consequences if the hostages seized from the U.S. embassy in Tehran were not released. They were released, as Reagan was delivering his inaugural address.
