Iran and the West: After 9/11

For over 20 years of Iran’s Islamic revolution, Iranians had chanted ‘death to America’.

After 11 September 2001 however, Iran’s moderate President, Mohammad Khatami, ordered it to stop and instead the country mourned the victims of 9/11 along with the rest of the world.

Programme three

Part three of this series tells the story of Iran’s complex dealings and confrontation with the West over its nuclear ambitions over the years following 9/11.

Khatami saw the potential of the post 9/11 era as a time to build bridges with the US and transform relations between the two countries.

Secret diplomatic meetings were arranged and, amongst other things, a strategy for dealing with Afghanistan was discussed.

Then, on 29 January 2002 relations cooled dramatically.

President Bush closed the door to all discussion, claiming Iran was part of what he called an "axis of evil".

First broadcast 3 August 2009