Since the Iranian takeover of the American Embassy in Tehran in 1979, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran have had no formal diplomatic relations. America has viewed Iran’s ambitions to lead the Islamic world, support for terrorists, and pursuit of nuclear weapons with deep suspicion, and hostility. Several rounds of sanctions have been imposed on Iran over the years. Pew Research Center survey (2015) found Republicans far more likely than Democrats to view Iran’s nuclear program as a major threat (79% vs. 52%). In 2015, Iran signed a deal with the US (and 5 other countries) to limit its nuclear activities and allow international inspections in return for the lifting of economic sanctions. In 2018, US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the nuclear deal, and reinstated economic sanctions against Iran. After the 2020 killing of Iran’s top military commander, Gen Qasem Soleimani by a US drone strike, Iran pulled back from its commitments to the nuclear accord.