The beginning shows how Richard Nixon met Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, at the funeral of former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Initially the U.S. and Iran enjoyed a close relationship, but during the 1970s oil embargo Iran insisted on keeping oil prices high, so the US switched to using Saudi Arabia as its primary ally.[1] Iran's economy experienced significant problems after the Saudis modified production to decrease oil prices.