The United States largely has itself to blame for the history of tensions and animosity between itself and Iran.
It goes back to the 1950s when a democratically-elected government was ousted—this might have been one of countless instances where the US helped engineer the overthrow of a democratic government—and, in the aftermath, the US helped engineer the assumption of power by the Shah ('king'). The Shah turned out to be a hated ruler because he was tyrannical and despotic, and his secret police imprisoned and tortured dissenters.
Later, in the Iran-Iraq War, the US supported Iraq and in fact armed Sadaam Hussein's Iraq, on the theory that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." The Iranians don't want to forgive America for that because it was a bitter, bloody, and costly war.
Actually, suspicion of the US and of the West by Iranians goes back even further because of Western—perhaps more British than US—actions and intervention in the Middle East during and after World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. To a degree, in this case, Iran's animosity should perhaps be directed more toward Britain than toward the US because the former was the bigger player, doing much to advance its interests and secure its influence in the area at that time. (For one thing, Britain was looking to protect the Suez Canal, which was jointly operated by Britain and France, but also, as one of the superpowers of the time, may have been moving into a power vacuum).
Update, February 1, 2012
I should add that the overthrow of the Iranian government of Premier Mossadegh in 1953 was due to OIL (surprise, surprise). He had nationalized Iran's oil production, which did not sit well with the US.
Also, two other reasons why the Shah was disliked had to do with his lavish lifestyle and his having offended conservative Iranians by embracing the West and western things.
Copyright © 2012 by Richard Stein
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If we take a trip down memory lane it's also worth remembering that the US has had a (bad) habit of supporting the "lesser of two evils" time after time and throughout the world. Throughout South America, Central America, and elsewhere, the US has supported brutal dictatorships from one time or another in hopes of fending off a perceived greater foe. One example that comes to mind instantly is the support of the Taliban forces in Afghanistan during a time of Soviet occupation and insurgency. For sure the US shares blame in sour relations with Iran but isn't solely at blame. Certainly questions linger as to the true intent of nuclear development in Iran as much as who (Israel?) is the smoking gun in regard to the Iranian nuclear scientist car bombing assassination recently. It might be more helpful for the powers that be to take up the cause of human rights more in trouble spots rather than propping up or otherwise supporting some tough kid on the block. Hopefully as the aftermath of the Arab Spring unravels a more community friendly type of governance will emerge where brutal harsh regimes have flourished. Time will tell but since violence begets violence hopefully some humane and peaceful resolve will be set in motion to curtail violence and pave the way for better days ahead.
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