The Twilight War

The Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran

By: David Crist

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

The dramatic secret history of the undeclared, ongoing war between the US and Iran

For the past three decades, the United States and Iran have been engaged in an unacknowledged secret war. This conflict has frustrated five American presidents, divided administrations, and repeatedly threatened to bring the two nations to the brink of open warfare.

Drawing upon unparalleled access to senior officials and key documents of several US administrations, David Crist, a senior historian in the federal government, breaks new ground in virtually every section of The Twilight War.

From the Iranian Revolution to secret negotiations between Iran and the United States after 9/11 to Iran's nuclear program and sanctions against it, Crist brings vital new depth to our understanding of "the Iran problem" - and what the future of this tense relationship may bring.

©2019 David Crist (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Very comprehensive and balanced

The book explores the animosity between the US and Iran over 50 years. The author conducted countless interviews with Americans and Iranians. He captures their perspectives on each other very well. Opportunities for peace were missed by both sides.I would especially recommend this book for policymakers and journalists specializing in the region because it is very long and very detailed.

Ties together a complex, persistent war

The book describes in part the US shooting down Iran Air Flight 655, a passenger flight from Tehran to Dubai via Bandar Abbas that was shot down on 3 July 1988 by an SM-2MR surface-to-air missile fired from USS Vincennes, a guided-missile cruiser of the United States Navy.

On 8 January 2020, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Tehran to Kiev operated by Ukraine International Airlines (UIA). It was shot down by the Iranian military. The circumstances surrounding each incident involved confusion and poor communication by the combatants, The results in each case were horrific.

Anyone who is interested in how the relationship between the US and Iran got to where we are today will benefit from this book.

Entertaining romp with an enjoyably narrow focus.

American perspective, focuses on the subject of Iran and the US without deviating much. Its well paced and doesn't get bogged down in details. Overall an enjoyable and informative read that I'd recommend to anyone!

A Near-Perfect Primer on Iran

I have taken multiple graduate level courses on Iran and this book is, in my opinion, the most holistic compilation of information on U.S.-Iranian relations. While no book is perfect (especially on an incendiary topic like Iran), Crist does an exceptional job of discussing both the diplomatic and military approaches taken by both sides during this so called “Twilight War,” often relying on his own military experience and background as a military historian to inform his writing. If you wanted to understand Iran and it’s importance to contemporary foreign policy in a day, this book is probably your best bet.

Comprehensive and balanced analysis

This book provided one of the best overviews of US-Iranian relations since the fall of the Shah. The author's insights appear to have been derived from a close reading contemporaneous news sources, diplomatic exchanges, and interviews of key participants in the conflict. His analysis is balanced and addresses the failures and missed opportunities of both sides to establish a healthy bilateral relationship. This was an excellent read and I recommend it to anyone interested in U.S. foreign policy or Near Eastern affairs.