CIA Assessment, March 1980: Iran’s Aggressive Ideology Aims to Reshape the Middle East; Why Did the Carter Administration Not Understand the Islamic Clergy’s Intentions 18 Months Earlier?
The CIA report details Iran’s aggressive foreign policy of promoting Islam as a radical platform for governance, noting also the new regime’s vigorous anti-U.S. outlook. Viewing Iran exclusively as an asset in the Cold War and not comprehending the potential power of political Islam developing with Iran proved to be one of the greatest oversights in U.S. Middle East foreign policy in the last 100 years.



