The previous essay on the Middle East described the violent extremist group Ansar Allah (Partisans for God) in Arabic, often called “the Houthis” for their founder, Hussein al-Houthi, and why they are firing on ships in the Red Sea as part of the widening war in Palestine. This group is just one of possibly dozens that are supported to various degrees by Iran and are often casually referred to as its “proxies” when they become involved in regional conflicts.The objective of this piece is to delve into the U.S.-Iranian relationship to understand why it is so contentious.