Iran's complex revolutionary history
On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti
WBUR
4.3 • 3.9K Ratings
🗓️ 27 March 2026
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Many in the West see Iran as a nation defined by a revolution. It’s also one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations that’s withstood centuries of struggle. How Iran’s history affects what’s happening today.
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| 1:26.5 | This is On Point. I'm Deborah Becker in for Magna Chakrabardi. As the war with Iran continues to shake the Middle East and the global economy, we want to spend the next hour looking back, partly because you've asked us to examine some of Iran's history to help better understand the context behind President |
| 1:45.8 | Trump's decision to join Israel in attacking Iran last month. |
| 1:49.7 | Today, the United States military continues to carry out large-scale combat operations in Iran |
| 1:55.8 | to eliminate the grave threats posed to America by this terrible terrorist regime. |
| 2:02.7 | Many say this latest conflict is another phase in hostilities that started decades ago |
| 2:08.8 | and has affected at least eight American presidents. |
| 2:12.6 | Perhaps most notably, Jimmy Carter, who was in office during the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and the taking of 52 American hostages for 444 days. |
| 2:24.6 | We are facing a horrible example of international terrorism, the holding of innocent people as kidnapped victims, supported by and condoned by the government of Iran. |
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