Iran might be the start of modern fundamentalist Islam, but just by happenstance. Something or other would have served just as well. A billion people following the most corrupt evil ideology in history — an ideology that preaches rape, murder, mass-murder and perpetual war — would have resulted in a modern resurgence one way or another.
This is not to take anything from the magnitude of Carter’s blunder (treachery?) in the 70s... Just saying I don’t think a No President Carter would have resulted in a No Modern Islamic Fundamentalism.
Islam would have slept longer without idiot Jimmy Carter facilitating the Iranian revolution.
The Saudis had to start spending more on their Sunni fundamentalists to compete with the Iranian shiite fundamentalists. So we got a shiite vs sunni arms race and war of Muslim ideology that continues to today