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Did you know: The very first newspapers published in America (way back in the 1720s) were obsessed with Iran. But not in the way you might think. A thread....
Week after week, from 1722 to 1724, the lead story in the two main publications in the American colonies -- Philadelphia's American Weekly Mercury and the Boston News-Letter -- concerned Iran (referred to as "Persia")
Persia typically took up anywhere from a quarter to a third of each week's paper
One newspaper even led with a regretful note: "we [do not] hear any thing from Persia" this week. Yes, the mere *absence* of news from Iran was a front-page story in America in 1724
![One newspaper even led with a regretful note: "we [do not] hear any thing from Persia" this week. Yes, the mere *absence* of news from Iran was a front-page story in America in 1724](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EkQAkmyXsAERVQg.jpg "One newspaper even led with a regretful note: \"we [do not] hear any thing from Persia\" this week. Yes, the mere *absence* of news from Iran was a front-page story in America in 1724")
Why this fascination with Iran? Was it because Americans saw Iran as the big, bad menace and the root of all evil? Nope. Quite the opposite. It was because colonial Americans actually had great fondness for the Persian Empire -- and were devastated to hear it was under threat
In 1722, Afghan rebels had revolted against their Persian rulers -- bringing an end to the glorious rule of the famous Safavid dynasty, and sacking its legendary capital, Isfahan. Americans were convinced the hated Ottoman Empire was secretly aiding the rebellion
They were wrong. But they didn't let this stop them. Week after week, American newspapers cheered on the Iranians and blasted the "wicked" Afghan rebels and their (supposed) Ottoman backers - the 1st example of Americans reducing Middle Eastern adversaries to good guys & bad guys
Because the Afghans and Ottomans were both Sunni, Americans assumed they must have forged a crude axis of evil against their beloved Shia Persia. Here, a newspaper attempts (badly) to explain the difference between Shia and Sunni to its Boston audience in 1723
Americans were so keen to believe in the narrative of Persians Good / Ottomans Bad that they convinced themselves the Shia were somehow *less* Muslim than the Sunni, and thus not as evil. Newspapers often called it a war btw "Muslims and Persians" (as if Persians were not Muslim)
But why were American newspapers in the 1720s so overtly pro-Iranian? For the answer, check out my new book -- America and Iran: A History, From 1720 to the Present, published next week in the UK by @OneworldNews and in the US in January by @AAKnopf http://tinyurl.com/y78w4733
OK, here's a hint: religion and politics. Because the Ottoman Turks were viewed as the evil empire, threatening Christian Europe and 'occupying' Jerusalem, their arch-rivals the Persians were seen as the good guys. But this wasn't the only reason....
There were also Biblical, Shakespearean and other influences on early American ideas about Persia. But I've already said too much. Just buy the damn book, OK?
PS - It gets even better. There was such an appetite for news from Iran in 1720s America that the two newspapers began competing against each other for it. The Mercury even published a sensationalistic, 9-part series on Persia in 1727 -- a first for American journalism
It is thus no exaggeration to say that American newspapers, which had barely existed before 1720, first came of age during the Persian crisis -- finding their voice and discovering the power of a hyped-up news cycle
And yes, they did all this while cheering on Iran. The end. Buy the book. http://tinyurl.com/y78w4733
