I don't believe a US-Iran War between 2001-2005 is easily done, because Mohammed Khatami was more of a moderate and wanted to work with the US in addressing Afghanistan and Iraq.
A better POD for a US-Iran War during the 2000s is to have the perpetrators of 9/11 be Iraqi. When Saddam Hussein refuses to extradite the leaders of ATL's terrorist group, a US-led Coalition invades Iraq in October 2001. Come 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is elected President of Iran as OTL; and between 2006-2008, Iran and the US provoke each other to war.
The Bush Administration did not want to go to war with Iran and knew they could not sell such a war to the American public due to war weariness from Afghanistan and Iraq. With the US having fought Iraq only, and evidence of hostilities with Iran, a US-Iran War is possible. Perhaps instead of the US withdrawing from Iraq between 2007-2011, they would instead stay, as they did with Afghanistan in OTL. Instead of the US intervening in the Libyan Arab Spring, the US intervenes in the next door Syrian Arab Spring in 2011. Libya and Syria are both Iran's allies, but Syria is closer.
A better POD for a US-Iran War during the 2000s is to have the perpetrators of 9/11 be Iraqi. When Saddam Hussein refuses to extradite the leaders of ATL's terrorist group, a US-led Coalition invades Iraq in October 2001. Come 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is elected President of Iran as OTL; and between 2006-2008, Iran and the US provoke each other to war.
The Bush Administration did not want to go to war with Iran and knew they could not sell such a war to the American public due to war weariness from Afghanistan and Iraq. With the US having fought Iraq only, and evidence of hostilities with Iran, a US-Iran War is possible. Perhaps instead of the US withdrawing from Iraq between 2007-2011, they would instead stay, as they did with Afghanistan in OTL. Instead of the US intervening in the Libyan Arab Spring, the US intervenes in the next door Syrian Arab Spring in 2011. Libya and Syria are both Iran's allies, but Syria is closer.
Last edited: