A relationship beset with extraordinary acrimony, the US and Iran rarely see eye-to-eye, if only to avoid war or nuclear catastrophe. What is at the core of this troubled rivalry that has stymied policymakers and scholars alike? Using a carefully selected collection of White House, CIA, State Department, and other records, Worlds Apart provides a comprehensive answer to this question: starting from the 1979 revolution and hostage crisis, through the Iran-Iraq War and the spread of radical Islam, to 9/11 and the nuclear impasse, to the 2009 Green Movement and the Obama and Trump presidencies. The records, which form the heart of the book, offer a rare, unfiltered view into the perspectives and experiences of the American and Iranian governments over 40 years. Providing timelines, glossaries, discussion questions, and a guide on reading declassified documents, Byrne and Byrne explore this complicated relationship accessibly and innovatively in this unique documentary history.

‘Four decades ago Iran and the US substituted a close relationship for marked hostility. Byrne and Byrne have brought together in this book a collection of key documents that mark the major turning points - and the viewpoints of the principal actors - of these tumultuous decades. Worlds Apart, the title the authors have chosen for their fascinating collection, is strikingly apt. Their book is a page-turner and a significant contribution to the study of US-Iranian relations since the Islamic revolution.’

Haleh Esfandiari - Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

‘Through a series of significant documents, expertly given context in an accessible fashion, Byrne and Byrne offer both novices and old hands a unique and reliable tracing of the difficult, often muddled and damaging, history of US-Iran relations during and since the revolution.’

Farideh Farhi - Independent scholar

‘An excellent collection of documents covering all of the major issues in US-Iran relations during the past forty years with introductory material that provides essential context. This will be an essential reference source for anyone interested in this important topic.’

Mark Gasiorowski - Professor Emeritus, Tulane University

‘It's not a pretty story, but it should be required reading to understand how our two countries have been stuck on a road to nowhere for forty years. It's all here: the ignorance, the obliviousness, and the insights ignored. Thanks to the authors for giving us the raw material of history free of biases and personal agendas.’

John Limbert - Retired American diplomat and author of Believers: Love and Death in Tehran