The perception of U.S. hostility towards Islam is a central component of the Iranian narrative of the United States. This paper explores the origins, breadth and evolution of this central component of Iran’s narrative through a systematic documentation of the elite discourse in Iran from the triumph of the revolution in 1979 to the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This paper will show that this narrative is not rhetorical, but that it serves as a serious framework for the Iranian ruling elite to understand U.S. attitudes towards Iran, towards Iran’s relations with its neighbors, the Palestinian movement, the region and the greater Muslim world. This paper will detail the framing of this issue in Iranian factional politics during different administrations, and will address its tensions, continuity and change.