Earlier today, two oil tankers departing from Saudi Arabia were reportedly attacked in the Gulf of Oman. The incident is the latest in a string of clashes in the region, as Tehran’s relationship with the other Gulf States deteriorates. Tensions between the US and Iran have also escalated in recent months, after US President Donald Trump ramped up economic sanctions and military pressure on his rival.
Relations have soured ever since Mr Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal last year.
His withdrawal represented the end of a brief ‘detente’ between the nations, where Iran would limit its nuclear arsenal and the US lifted crippling economic sanctions.
Mr Trump warned in May: "If they do anything, they will suffer greatly."
However, the relationship between the US and Iran has not always been so fraught.
Women did not cover their hair in the decades before the Iranian Revolution (Image: Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia Commons & GETTY)
President Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal last year (Image: GETTY)
Before the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Iran was a relatively progressive society that had a good relationship with the West.
It was ruled by the US-friendly Mohammed Reza Shah, propped up by the West.
The Shah originally took over from his father, who was pushed into exile in 1941.
In 1953, he was ousted by supporters of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeg, but the US and UK orchestrated a coup against the government and the Shah was reinstated.
He then went on to launch the White Revolution, which upended the wealth and influence of landowners and clerics, disrupted rural economies and heavily westernised the country.
In this era, women were given the right to vote and wearing a hijab was not mandatory.
Women and men mixed freely and educational opportunities were greatly extended.
Homosexuality was tolerated, even to the point of
