How does Iranian history underpin today's unrest? Dan traces more than 2,500 years of Iran's story — from the first Persian empires through conquest, dynasties, and revolution — to understand how power, identity, and sovereignty have shaped the country. He's joined by Ali Ansari, Professor of Iranian History at the University of St Andrews to explore key turning points over the centuries from the Arab conquest to the 1953 overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh and the 1979 Revolution. A version of this podcast was first released back in 2019. Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore, animated by Matthew Wilson & the channel manager is Vilde Øksnes. 00:00 – Iran in Crisis 01:04 – A History of Unrest 01:46 – Ancient Iran 05:27 – Persia vs the West 09:52 – Islam and Survival 11:45 – Mongols and Collapse 15:38 – Shiite Iran 21:01 – Europe Takes Over 26:34 – War and Breakdown 32:55 – The Modern Iranian State 35:20 – Building Modern Iran 38:21 – A Strong State, Weak Citizens 41:07 – Occupation and Awakening 44:16 – Oil and the Coup 45:20 – America Replaces Britain 47:02 – The White Revolution 51:25 – Oil, Power, and Overheating 54:24 – Revolution Unravels the Monarchy 57:46 – An Islamic Republic 1:01:04 – Continuity You can find more Dan Snow's History Hit on the audio podcast here: https://podfollow.com/dan-snows-history-hit/view Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds. #DanSnowsHistoryHit #HistoryPodcast #Iran