The Twilight War: The Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran

This was one of the most informative books I have read on a regional issue. In this case, the clash between a country, Iran, which was once a major empire with the same superpower proportions as present day America. Originally known as Persia this land over the centuries has seen invasion by Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks, Mongols, to name a few. It is historically noted that Iran has the distinction of being the home to one of the worlds oldest continuous major civilizations dating back to 4000 BCE. Over these many centuries the land has undergone many foreign occupations and dynasties. This book guides you through the more recent history of Iran and it's state religion, Shi'a Islam. The 1979 Iranian Revolution when Iran became known as an Islamic Republic.By the 17th century Europeans were encroaching on this Empire and than in 1908 the British discovered oil. During WWI the country was occupied by Britain and Russia who withdrew in 1919 after their revolution. In WWII the country was again occupied by British,Indian forces and Soviet forces in the north part of Iran. By 1945 the Soviets had withdrawn with the promise of oil concessions, the British continued to hold sway of the country.By 1953 America enters the picture through political actions controlled by the CIA with support from British MI6 who assist in a coup. At this point with the aid of the USA Iran is ruled as autocracy under the shah which reinforces an international consortium of foreign oil facilities for the next 25 years splitting the profits among themselves and Iran. By 1963 civil unrest fostered by Islamic elements begin to be felt and this is when the shah's secret service becomes really active in assassinations and torture. By the 1970's Iran had imported arms from the west and had become the regions most powerful military force. By 1973 the shah nationalizes his oil industry. By 1979 things really begin to change with the return Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the shah flees to the USA. In November 1979 Iranian mobs seize the American embassy, America becomes the great Satan and all of the USA's prior dealing and policies have the "Blow-Back effect and the two countries become antagonistic, America placing international sanctions on Iran. In 1980 Iraq invades Iran, and America aides and supplies Iraq with arms and intelligence, sometimes for it's own benefit, aid is given to both sides at different times. Author David Crist has obviously gone to great lengths to research the mostly unknown (Luke-warm) war that the two countries engage in for 30 years. He covers the history of events, political climate, espionage, sinking military naval vessels, aiding in the killing of American soldiers both in Iraq and Afghanistan. The on and off game of diplomacy, the Israeli factor, control of the Persian gulf, international gamesmanship, assassinations of Iranian scientists, drone attacks, killing of Iranian forces engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, Americas sorry history of missed opportunities and bad choices. This book has it all and is easy reading. By the time you finish, you will fully understand this Twilight War that most American's know little of other than to mistrust Iranian motives, rightfully so. The author points out the animosity of the Arab world against "the haughty" Iranians and the difficulty in dealing with their regime. The author illuminates America's participation in this 30 year long war and it's not pretty. I highly recommend this book which is quite timely considering that the American public had spent the last 5 years hearing about Iran's quest for a nuclear weapon and threats to destroy the very existence of the State of Israel which would touch of a regional war of horrific consequences, Basically the book points out that Iran wants the U.S. out of the region and the U.S. Navy out of the Persian Gulf.

Ask just about anyone why the US/Iranian relationship is strained and you’ll discover a myriad of shrugs and ill informed responses. They’re terrorists, or they’re going to nuke Israel are the most common responses. Many people are aware of the instability but vary rarely can anyone tell you why. This book “The Twilight War,” by David Crist, gives an extremely thorough and well researched history of the Iranian US conflict from the revolution to today. David Crist, is the son of CENTCOM Commander George Crist who oversaw middle eastern forces throughout the 1980’s. This gives Crist a unique and rare perspective and access to information not typically available to the average citizen. It is evident that his research was extremely vast and painstakingly detailed. My anticipation for this book was to gain insight from a completely American perspective, I was not disappointed. Crist provided a play by play of nearly every event that occurred post revolution and the perception of events from an American military standpoint. His work shed light on many different examples of Iranian instigation and disruption throughout the middle east and how those antagonisms effected the US military. Including an assassination attempt in Washington of a Saudi Ambassador. Although Crist did not hold back in his work and offered many examples of times when America was at fault in the political antagonism, this book is indeed written from a skewed perspective. Crist began his historical account primarily at the time of the revolution and went into great detail as to what happened, but he failed in explaining why the events occurred. To truly understand the American/Iranian conflict you must have a thorough grasp on Iranian culture and history and why the revolution had as much to do about America and Europe than it did about Islam and Anti-zionism. Although the perspective is one sided, the author reports facts accurately, descriptively, and leaves out personal bias and opinion. This did not read like a propaganda piece, but more of a dry recitation of information. If you are looking to get a detailed and honest record of the history between Iran and the US for the passed 30 years, this is a great resource. To fully understand why the Iranian and US relations are in their current state, I would encourage you to find more resources.

I'd give this work six stars if I could !! David Crist has laboured hard to re-create an account of the secret, low-level conflict which has been conducted in the shadows by both the United States and Iran since the fall of the Shah. There's still much animosity and bad blood between both nations. Starting with the fall of the Shah, Crist narrates and analyses the growing conflict between the Ayatollahs and the United States. Iran played a huge role in the Lebanese violence of the 1980s which consumed a lot of the United States time whilst in the country. Soon prominent Americans in the region were being taken as hostages, later to be ransomed for weapons to be used against the Iraqi invasion. The Iranian authorities were making it clear that they had no time for America. The United States was not slow to respond. Major efforts were made to supply Hussein's Iraq during the war with Iran; weapons, intelligence and logistical supplies flowed into Iraq from the United States with little objection being made against the use of chemical weapons by the Iraq military. A large portion of Crist's work centres on the 'Tanker War' in the Persian Gulf during the 1980s. The US and Iran sparred and clashed on numerous occasions. Crist also documents the lengths the Arab states went to in order to protect their shipping, usually with significant assistance form the United States. The Iraq War of 2003 represents another level of the conflict. Iran demanded a role in the creation of a post-Hussein government but were rebuffed by the West, particularly the United States. This was to lead to a major surge in Iranian sponsored terrorism in Iraq and also led to the deaths of US soldiers and marines. Crist documents the events which were to lead to the instability in Iraq and also where the US military directly engaged the Iranian Revolutionary Guards along the border regions. Above all though, the author analyses just how short sighted both the US and Iran have been over the past three decades in making headway towards a form of peace. Suspicion, animosity, fear, anger, pride, ignorance... you name it, they have all clouded the judgements of successive Presidents in both governments. Huge headway could have been made by President Bush after 9/11 when the Iranian leaders all but begged for dialogue. He ignored it, setting back relations another ten years. Crist's conclusion does come across as stating that both nations are as bad as one another !! And he's dead right in this summation !! Referred to as the 'Twilight War' because of the darkness in which it has taken place, the author concludes with a stark warning that real conflict between the two is only a matter of time, although this is less of a danger given the current climate. The development of the Islamic State terrorist group has occurred since the publication of this book and in my opinion it presents an excellent opportunity for accommodation to be reached between the US and Iran. This is a marvellous book and I cannot recommend it enough.

Crist writes well but lacks the historical research a book of this scope requires, unless it was directed solely at Pentagon/White House audience. He briefly mentions the US involvement in the overthrow of the popularly elected Mossadegh which, in view of later events, should rightly have been the commencement for a history of the relationships between the US and Iran. That intervention led to the installation of the Shah and, more importantly, SAVAK, the Shah's much feared secret police. Mossadegh's removal, at the behest of the British government saw the US join France and Britain in carving up much of Iran's oil wealth, and fed into the later deposing of the Shah and his replacement by the Ayotallah Khomeni, followed by the US embassy siege and hostage taking. Instead, Crist elects to use this point as the anchor for his history. He refers to a "myopic Cold War" view of the US with fears of Soviet involvement in the area, noting briefly that up until the installation of the Shah the Soviet Union had been extracting oil in northern Iran under licences granted by the then government. It may have been worthwhile including that the area, including Azerbaijan had been settled by Russians fleeing the Bolshevik revolution, and no mention is made of whether those licences were revoked by the Shah. This raises the question of whether the installation of the Shah was intended to revoke those licences and perhaps lead to a military response by the Soviet Union, an aspect which should be important in any history of the region. It should be noted, too, that Khomeni was renowned for his anathema towards the Soviets due to their atheism, a theme which, if explored, is very under explored. He touches briefly on Iranian involvement in the Lebanese civil war (which saw US intervention on behalf of the Phalangists) but fails to explore the historical relationship which contributed to that involvement, concentrating instead on Iranian involvement in the bombing of the marine barracks which tragically resulted in many deaths and woundings.. At a later point Crist cites his father, head of CENTCOM as claiming four previous Soviet incursions into Syria, but gives no reference/s relating to them. Much of the tensions currently in existence in the Middle East can be traced to competing ideologies between Sunni and Shia'a, and exploited by the US in its determination to install and maintain military bases there. I found this book as a commencement into the study of a region with troubles exacerbated by

As an Iranian and somebody who has read a lot about Iran, this is one the best book you can find. The author has done a thorough research for the book.

It has been awhile since I read this, so the details have faded a bit, however, the impact remains. Crist has a special perspective as (I think) the son of the US general in command of military effort in the area over the period AND an active serving military man. The complex relationship between the US and Iran, especially considering the assistance the US provided to Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war and their possible role prior to the overthrow of the Shah, is examined in detail. My wife found the book depressing and had to put it down because it is almost too much to take. While I agree to an extent, it is an important view on how the US, and consistently their Presidents, from Carter to Obama, seem to under estimate the power, influence and intentions of Iran. Crist clearly sees Iran as a major enemy of the US, but not simply for the usual jingoistic reasons - he documents many compelling events and ties them together. Did he foresee the quagmire in Syria, Iran's role, and the Russians laughing up their sleeves? Maybe not, but he comes VERY close.

Although I have not read all of this volume, what I have read is very detailed and goes behind beyond headlines of this secret history between the United States and Iran. The author knows his subject and helps opening door on key periods in relationship such as the deployment of US Navy vessels in the Gulf during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. I look forward to continuing reading this book especially as issues concerning the Persian Gulf are back in the news with blockade of Qatar and more