After fleeing the country, the shah sought refuge in the United States, a move that many Iranians interpreted as an attempt to reclaim power with American support. Dan Lindley, professor of political science, said the outcome of the protests could significantly affect Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “That is actually a really sweet thing to say.”As a result of tensions in 1979 the United States seized Iranian assets housed in the United States. Of this total, approximately $2 billion is held directly within the United States,” Moosa wrote. Historically, the U.S. has intervened in Iran when Israel did not have the necessary weapons to reach certain Iranian nuclear sites, such as in the attack of July 2025.