🛢️ Background: U.S.–Iran Relationship (Pre-1979)
• The U.S. helped overthrow Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953 (CIA-backed coup) after he nationalized oil.
• The Shah was reinstated and became a strong U.S. ally, receiving billions in military aid and arms.
• Iran was one of the top buyers of U.S. military equipment in the 1960s and 1970s.
• The Shah ruled with authoritarian control, backed by a brutal secret police (SAVAK), and was deeply unpopular with many Iranians, leading to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

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🖨️ Iran and U.S. Currency Printing

Yes — this part is lesser known but fascinating:

Iran was the only foreign country ever allowed to use the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) to print its currency.

🇮🇷 What Was the Deal?
• In the early 1960s, Iran contracted the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing to print their rial banknotes.
• This was incredibly rare — usually, countries print their own or use private foreign companies (like De La Rue in the UK), but not the official U.S. government printing press.
• The U.S. BEP printed high-denomination Iranian banknotes, which had the Shah’s portrait on them.

🤯 Why Is That Wild?
• The BEP only prints U.S. currency and official government documents — so printing money for a foreign country (especially with a dictator’s face on it) is a major exception.
• It shows just how tight the relationship was between the U.S. and the Shah’s regime.
• After the revolution, this kind of access and trust completely collapsed.

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Summary
• ✅ Yes, Iran is the only known country that had its currency printed by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
• 💰 This happened under the Shah, reflecting just how deeply aligned the U.S. was with Iran before 1979.
• 🔥 After the Islamic Revolution, relations flipped 180° — leading to 45+ years of hostility