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US-backed Shah of Iran forced to leave Iran.
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Islamic religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini returns.
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Militants take hostages at US embassy.
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Shah dies of cancer in Egypt, hostage crisis continues.
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Iraq invades, sparking a war with Iran which lasts the rest of the decade.
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1981 20 January - Last 52 US hostages freed in January after intense diplomatic activity. Their release comes a few hours after US President Jimmy Carter leaves office. They had been held for 444 days.
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US cruiser mistakenly shoots down Iranian Airbus.
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Ayatollah Khomeini dies. Supreme leader appointed the following day.
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Hashemi Rafsanjani sworn in as president.
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Iran remains neutral in US-led intervention in Kuwait.
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Bill Clinton is sworn in.
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President Clinton imposes oil and trade sanctions on Iran.
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Pres. Clinton imnposes penalties on companies that invests $40m in Iran and Libya.
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Muhammad Khatami elected president of Iran.
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Iranian reformists win landslide victory in general election.
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Report by Central Intelligence Agency accuses Iran of programs to acquire nuclear weapons.
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George W Bush, describes Iran, Iraq and North Korea as an "axis of evil", warning of nuclear proliferation.
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White House refuses to rule out the "military option" in dealing with Iran after Iran "failed to report...materials and activities".
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A UN resolution condemns Iran for keeping some of its nuclear activities secret.
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Iranian President Mohammed Khatami says his country will never give up nuclear technology.
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US faces "no greater challenge" than Iran's nuclear program.
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A report in the suggests the US is planning a strike against underground nuclear sites - a claim Washington denies. Iran announces it has successfully enriched uranium.Ahmadinejad insists the pursuit of peaceful nuclear weapons is beneficial.
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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offers congratulations to Barack Obama after his election as US president. Report says US is considering presence in the Tehran.
