Inside the US-Iran Shadow War for Control of the Middle East

Iran and the United States have had no formal diplomatic relations since April 1980. Pakistan serves as Iran’s protecting power in the United States, while Switzerland serves as the United States’ protecting power in Iran.
Contacts are carried through the Iranian Interests Section of the Pakistani Embassy in Washington DC and the US Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Tehran.
In August 2018, Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei banned direct talks with the United States.
According to a 2013 BBC World Service poll, 5% of Americans view Iranian influence positively, with 87% expressing a negative view, the most unfavorable perception of Iran in the world.
On the other hand, research has shown that most Iranians hold a positive attitude about the American people, though not the US government.