As a college student, Matt Shannon found an interest in the Middle East and gradually narrowed his attention to the connections between Iran and the U.S. Dr. Shannon is now a professor of history, preparing for the release of his second book, Mission Manifest , a look at the experience of U.S. evangelicals and missionaries in Iran. The country continues to play a significant role in U.S. international relations with the backdrop of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the taking and holding of American hostages for 444 days. Occasional and ongoing uprisings in the Muslim state continue, most recently after the country's morality police arrested a woman for not wearing her hijab properly. She died in custody. The slogan that protesters chant in her memory: Women. Life. Freedom. The title of Shannon's first book captures the emotional essence of the relationship between the two countries: Losing Hearts & Minds: American-Iranian Relations, 2017. That book, examined earlier close educational ties between the two countries. In this interview, we see how the overall history and culture of Iran captured Dr. Shannon's own heart and mind and has led his research in a successful academic career.