U.S. Military Joint Exercises
The 1964 exercises should also be understood within the broader history of relationship with the United States. During the reign of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, Washington and Tehran developed a close strategic partnership. Increasingly became an important American partner in the Middle East, while the Shah’s government viewed the United States as a major source of political, economic, and military support.
This relationship would become considerably more prominent during the following decade as acquired increasingly advanced American military equipment and expanded its armed forces. The cooperation visible in the 1964 exercises can therefore be seen as part of an earlier stage in a military partnership that continued to develop throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
