"Covering the last days of the reign of the Shah to the revolution under the Ayatollah Khomeini, Babak Ganji presents a thorough examination of US policy towards Iran in the final years of the Carter administration within the historical framework of US-Iranian Relations. He provides the first in-depth look at US documents seized from the American Embassy by revolutionary students during the infamous hostage crisis, casting new light on a subject that has captivated historians' attention for decades." "Politics of Confrontation debunks the myth that US officials were unaware of the nature and strength of the Shah's opposition, and sheds new light on the Soviet Union's increasing influence over senior politicians. Ganji explores the nature of the perpetually antagonistic relations between the two countries and the mistrust and misunderstanding that fuels it. His findings are invaluable to historians of US diplomacy, Iran and the Cold War."--BOOK JACKET.

"Partly based on [the author's] doctoral thesis at the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne"--Acknowledgements.

US policy toward Iran. -- The Carter administration's regional strategy and policy towards Iran. -- The development of religious opposition to the Shah. -- The formation of the Tripoli Bloc and the radical challenge to the regional order. -- Revolutionary crisis in Iran. -- Policy currents and the Iranian revolution. -- The intensification of the revolutionary crisis. -- US policy during the collapse of the ancien regime and the victory of the revolution. -- The regional impact of the Iranian revolution. -- The Carter administration's modus vivendi with the revolutionary regime. -- US strategies and the Iranian hostage crisis. -- The failure of the hostage rescue mission and the continuation of the negotiations. -- Iran-Iraq war and developments in the hostage crisis. -- Post-election shift of US strategy in Iran and the region.