In The Twilight War, government historian David Crist outlines the secret history of America’s 30-year conflict with Iran. The book, based on interviews with hundreds of officials as well as classified military archives, details how the covert war has spanned five American presidential terms and repeatedly threatened to bring the two nations into open warfare.
Crist tells Fresh Air‘s Terry Gross that there have been several incidents that have almost resulted in battle over the past 30 years.
Crist himself observed a close call between American and Iranian vessels in 2003, when he was a member of the special operations forces.
