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The son of Reza Shah, Mohamed Shah takes his father's throne.
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After 5 years of war in Iran, USSR troops are withdrawn from Iran, giving them some independance.
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The Tudeh Communist party is banned from Iran for attempting assassination against the Shah. The Shah's powers were greatly expanded because of this.
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Prime Minister Muhammad Mussadeq is overthown by the Iranian military, with help from the US and Britain. He was a prominent leader in the oil industry.
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A nuclear reactor at Bushehr is finished, and raises concern for nuclear weapons. Iran leaders denied any accusations of this, and claimed it was for nuclear energy alternatives.
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Islamic religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini returns from exile and takes power.
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Iranian students seize 63 hostages at US embassy in Tehran, demanding that the Shah is released from the US back to Iran
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Iran goes to war with Iraq after Iraq invades. Many countries offer Iraq support, but noone helped Iran
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After 444 days in captivity, all US hostages are released.
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Despite a ban on selling arms to Iran, President Ronald Reagan sold weapons to Iran for money and the release of hostages. The arms deals were terminated in 1986.
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The USS Vincennes shot down an Iranian civilian airliner with 290 passengers on board, killing everyone, supposedly in error.
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Hojatoleslam Mohammad Khatami is elected with plans to reduce tension between Iran and other countries. He also attempted to move to a democracy multiple times, but each time it was vetoed by the council.
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In late 2003, Iran's nuclear program was put on watch by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
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This causes many stricter policies and creation of nuclear facilities.
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Iran elections are held and the results are suspiciously in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's favor. Other candidates claimed it as a fraud, causing many riots.