Tensions between Iran and the US have been simmering for most of the last century and they've taken centre stage today as the two face off in the World Cup. Most recently, Iran called for the USA to be kicked out of the contest after they shared an altered image of the Iranian flag as a show of support for women's rights in the Middle Eastern country.
Before that, the US imposed sanctions on Iran, asserting that Iran's morality police were responsible for the death of Mahsa Amini - who died after being arrested for wearing "unsuitable attire". This sparked protests, and at least a dozen people are believed to have been killed during the unrest.
But these are just the two most recent controversies in a long and troubled history that had its first major milestone in 1953, 69 years ago, when the US, alongside the United Kingdom, played a major part in the 1953 coup to ensure the rule of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as Shah, which was met with resentment by many Iranian citizens.
He was eventually deposed during the Iran revolution of 1977 and his leadership was replaced with an Islamic republic under the rule of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. This led to the darkest day in the animosity between the two countries, when the US Embassy in Tehran was seized in 1979, leading to a hostage crisis which lasted over a year.
The hostage crisis in Tehran lasted for 444 days and the final 52 hostages were freed in January 1981, and six Americans who had escaped the embassy were smuggled home by a team posing as filmmakers.
Then, in 1988, tensions worsened when an Iranian passenger plane was shot down by American warship USS Vincennes, killing all 290 people on board. The US later claimed the Airbus A300 was mistaken for a fighter jet.
Eventually tempers cooled and the two countries developed closer tiles in 2013, when Iran's new leader, president Hassan Rouhani, spoke with US President Barack Obama on the phone.
Iran then arranged a long-term deal in 2015 agreeing to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allowing international inspectors - ending years of crippling economic sanctions.
But in 2018 things took a turn for the worse, when President Donal Trump abandoned the nuclear deal and reinstated economic tensions.
Iran fell into a deep recession as a result and the sanctions were tightened in 2019, and in response, Iran began a counter-pressure campaign.
The US accused Iran of being behind explosions that hit six oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, and in June 2019, Iranian forces shot down a US military drone that they claim was over their territory, while the US say it was over international waters.
Later, Iran rolled back their commitments under he nuclear deal, and in January, 2020, their top military commander, Gen Qasem Soleimani, was killed by a US drone strike in Iraq.
Iran's leaders vowed revenge and pulled back entirely from the 2015 nuclear accord.
Then came the World Cup, and earlier this week, the official Twitter account of the US national football team posted an image of the World Cup Group B standings ahead of today's match.
But they decided to remove the Islamic Republic's "Allah" emblem and the "takbirs" from Iran's three-coloured flag.
The USMNT account posted an image of the group which only showed the Iranian flag bearing its green, white and red colours but without any symbol of the Islamic Republic.
This has allegedly breached FIFA guidelines, as pointed out by Iran's state-affiliated media Tasnim News Agency. The USMNT say the gesture was to show "support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights" and they added it was a one-time display and it will restore the symbol moving forward.
The news agency wrote on Twitter, alongside a screenshot of the relevant FIFA rule: "According to section 13 of #FIFA rules, any person who offends the dignity or integrity of a country, a person or group of people... shall be sanctioned with a suspension lasting at least ten matches or a specific period, or any other appropriate disciplinary measure."
The state media outlet added: "By posting a distorted image of the flag of the Islamic Republic of #Iran on its official account, the #US football team breached the @FIFAcom charter, for which a 10-game suspension is the appropriate penalty.
"Team #USA should be kicked out of the #WorldCup2022."
The move comes against the backdrop of social arrest in the country in Western Asia, as the United States imposed sanctions after Ms Amini's death.
Ms Amini, 22, died after being arrested by Islamic Republic's morality police for wearing 'unsuitable attire' - sparking a wave of protests, with at least a dozen people believed to have died as the deadly civil unrest continues across the republic.
The protests have been most intense in the Kurdish region, where the authorities have previously put down unrest by the Kurdish minority numbering eight million to 10 million.
The morality police detained Ms Amini - a Kurdish woman - last week, saying she did not properly cover her hair with the Islamic headscarf, known as the hijab, which is mandatory for Iranian women.
She later collapsed at a police station and died three days later. Police say she died of a heart attack and deny she was mistreated - while her family say she didn't suffer any health problems previously.
"Mahsa Amini was a courageous woman whose death in morality police custody was yet another act of brutality by the Iranian regime's security forces against its own people," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement on Thursday.
The U.S. Treasury Department also accused the morality police of violating the rights of peaceful protesters and said it had imposed sanctions on seven senior Iranian military and security officials, including the chief of the Iranian army's ground forces.
"The Iranian government needs to end its systemic persecution of women and allow peaceful protest," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a separate statement.
The senior officials designated included the morality police's head, Mohammad Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi; the commander of the Iranian army's ground forces, Kiyumars Heidari; and Esmail Khatib, Iran's minister of intelligence, the Treasury confirmed in a press release.
It identified the others as Haj Ahmad Mirzaei, head of the morality police's Tehran division during Amini's detention and death; Salar Abnoush, deputy commander of Iran's hardline Basij militia; and Qasem Rezaei and Manouchehr Amanollahi of Iran's Law Enforcement Forces, which will deny them access of their properties and bank accounts held in the US.
Videos on social media show demonstrations in Tehran and spreading to cities such as Rasht, Mashhad and Isfahan.
Iran's World Cup campaign has been played to the backdrop of these tensions. Upon the Islamic Republic's request, Qatari authorities have been preventing Iranian fans from carrying the "Lion and Sun" flag - which used to be Iran's national flag before 1979 Islamic Revolution - or the three-coloured flag with "Woman, Life, Freedom" slogan.
Team Melli fans at their opening two World Cup matches could be heard jeering to drown out the sound of their national anthem, which expresses its desire for the Islamic Republic to live forever.
One group of Iran fans have also produced a flag in the stands which read: "Woman, Life, Freedom."
Saman Ghoddos, the only Iranian in the Premier League, last week told Mirror Football this month that it was right for players to speak up in support of those who are calling for change - regardless of potential repercussions.
Iran will play USA in their final Group B clash today, with a play in the Round of 16 up for grabs. England leads the group on four points, while Iran are on three points – having defeated Wales – with USA on two and Wales propping up the group with a solitary point.
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