Nuclear Conflict

                                        Iran has many current conflicts within their country and with other countries. Iran and the United States have a long history of conflict without resolution. The Carter administration attempted to develop diplomatic ties with the Islamic Republic after their revolution of 1979 from the monarchy of the Pahlavi dynasty. The White House then  shifted to a policy of containment after the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran where fifty-two Americans were held hostage, some for more than two years. This event marked the beginning of U.S. sanctions on Iran.    





      The United States continued this minimalistic strategy of containment with Iran while continuing to monitor developing nuclear technology advances in Iran. Negotiations have been attempted but the U.S. has avoided policies with Iran and their President Mahmoud Ahmadinjad throughout the years. The United States and other world powers have been becoming increasingly concerned about the Nuclear Program in Iran over the past few years. A meeting in 2009 between the U.S., France, Russia and Iran was uneventful in deliberations after Iran stalled when an agreement was not reached.  

                                                           
       The U.S.  increased sanctions on Iran in July 2010 on imports in the country and nuclear programs, limiting their ability to buy components and maintain business around the world. In more recent negotiations last month, Saeed Jalili (negotiator for Iran) and Catherine Ashton (EU negotiator) along with six other countries including the U.S., have again started discussing the nuclear program issues that are of concern for the world  powers.
                                                               
                                      
     In this continuing conflict between Iran and the United States there have been many years of avoidance by the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. have avoided policies with Iran in order to avoid war with the country, yet the U.S. is interested in protecting itself from potential threats of nuclear war. This is a credible fear from the U.S. because Iran is seemingly unstable with constant protesting, human rights  deterioration and notable hatred of the U.S. by Iranians. Iran has avoided discussing their nuclear program because they know that the only resolution the U.S. wants, will result in the termination of the nuclear intelligence that they have been developing.
     Iran created the triggering event in 1979 by initiating conflict with the U.S. by taking over the U.S. Embassy and the conflict has escalated since then. The United States sanctions on Iran is a forcing, competing style of conflict in which the party (U.S.) exhibits low flexibility and simply tries to get others (Iran) to go along with them by virtue of superior power. Iran is in more of a contending, competing style of conflict where they are somewhat flexible as long as the flexibility does not prevent the party (Iran) from achieving their goals (nuclear technology). There does not seem to be a resolution in sight between the U.S. and Iran, but negotiations are currently being held in Turkey with the other world powers.