Since the birth of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, Iran’s narrative of the United States has centered on conflict, hostility and defiance. But along with this enduring and institutionalized narrative, there has always existed an alternative conversation centered on a “redeemable” America with which Iran could live. The prevailing scholarship on U.S.-Iran relations has argued that a softer, less negative outlook on the United States was predominantly evident or pronounced during the brief period of the Mohammad Khatami presidency, associated with the rise of the reformist movement in Iran, and reflected in Iran’s burgeoning press during this period. This paper argues, however, that the alternative vision of the United States existed from the beginning and throughout the life of the Islamic Republic, regardless of which political faction has been in charge of the country, and even, or perhaps especially, during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The paper further contends that this alternative narrative is not based on abstract thought, but has consistently been linked to real world policy context and critical moments in U.S.-Iran Relations, and as such provides a prism through which an alternative relationship with the United States has been contemplated or envisioned. The paper is based on a systematic content analysis of the speeches, interviews, and writings of Iran’s leaders and ruling elite throughout the Iranian political spectrum from 1979 to the present time.