Iran has been a quasi-theocracy since the ouster of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in the Islamic Revolution of 1979. It has been at odds with the United States and the West for much of that time.

In recent years, the United States has criticized Iran over its suppression of the Green Movement and its support for militant groups around the region like Hamas and Hezbollah. But the conflict has centered on Iran’s nuclear program, which much of the international community believes is meant to develop weapons.

In November 2011, a report by United Nations weapons inspectors presented a trove of new evidence that they said makes a “credible” case that “Iran has carried out activities relev... and that the project may still be under way.

Later that week, the United States and other major Western powers took significant steps to cut Iran off from the international finan... announcing coordinated sanctions aimed at its central bank and commercial banks. In addition, the United States imposed sanctions on companies involved in Iran’s nuclear industry, as well as on its petrochemical and oil industries.

President Obama signed new legislation at the end of 2011 imposing sanctions against Iran’s central bank intended to make it harder for the country to sell its oil and in early January 2012, the countries of the European Union agreed in principle to impose an embargo on Iranian oil.

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