The interesting thing about our history with Iran is that the vast majority of Americans don’t even know it. They somehow think that it all started in 1979 under the Carter administration when a horde of Iranians overthrew their Shah and overtook the American embassy. Of course…if that’s what you think – you have no idea. The reality is – that while most Americans are very much ignorant to the history of Iran…conversely – the vast majority of Iranians are entirely educated about the history of America’s involvement in Iran.
On the morning of August 19, 1953, a crowd of demonstrators operating at the direction of pro-Shah organizers with ties to the CIA made its way from the bazaars of southern Tehran to the center of the city. Joined by military and police forces equipped with tanks, they sacked offices and newspapers aligned with Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh and his advisers, as well as the communist Tudeh Party and others opposed to the monarch.
By early afternoon, clashes with Mosaddegh supporters were taking place, the fiercest occurring in front of the prime minister’s home. Reportedly 200 people were killed in that battle before Mosaddeq escaped over his own roof, only to surrender the following day. At 5:25 p.m., retired General Fazlollah Zahedi, arriving at the radio station on a tank, declared to the nation that with the Shah’s blessing he was now the legal prime minister and that his forces were largely in control of the city.
Although official U.S. reports and published accounts described Mosaddegh’s overthrow and the shah’s restoration to power as inspired and carried out by Iranians, this was far from the full story. Memoirs of key CIA and British intelligence operatives and historical reconstructions of events have long established that a joint U.S.-British covert operation took place in mid-August, which had a crucial impact.
Yet, there has continued to be a controversy over who was responsible for the overthrow of the popularly elected Mosaddegh, thanks to accounts by, among others, former Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Zahedi’s son, who later became a fixture in the Shah’s regime. Those versions of events virtually ignored the possibility that any outside actors played a part, claiming instead that the movement to reinstate the Shah was genuine and nationwide in scope.
Source: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB126/index.htm
The democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossaddegh was put on trial; he is on record of saying:
Yes, my sin – my greater sin, and even my greatest sin – is that I nationalized Iran’s oil industry and discarded the system of political and economic exploitation by the world’s greatest empire … This at cost to myself and my family and at the risk of losing my life, my honor and my property … With God’s blessing and the will of the people, I fought this savage and dreadful system of international espionage and colonialism.
So – the question is…why would America support the overthrow of a democratically elected government that posed ZERO threat to it? The answer is oil.
Before the 1953 CIA coup, the British were the dominant power in Iran. The most important aspect of British power in Iran was its control of Iranian oil. Historian Nikki Keddie summarizes the relationship:
“Iran…[had] no say in the [oil] company, not even the right to see its books, …[and was] paying high prices for Iranian oil. …The AIOC [Anglo-Iranian Oil Company] paid much more money in income taxes to the British government than it did in royalties to the Iranian government. …The AIOC was seen [by the Mossadeq-led Iranian patriots] as a major cause and channel for British influence and control over Iran.”[3]
Keddie explains that the royalties paid to Iran were just 26% of total net profits, but some of that money was recovered by the British anyway because, as we see above, the AIOC (the biggest industry in Iran) sold oil to the Iranians at high prices! Iran was a British possession in all but name.
Source: http://www.hirhome.com/iraniraq/iran-coup.htm
Victims of the 1953 CIA coup
Cover an an Iranian newspaper showing anti-Mossadegh demonstrators riding atop a tank on August 19, 1953
Prime Minister Mossaddegh on trial in 1953
Leading up to the overthrow of Prime Minister Mossaddegh
Leading up to the overthrow of Prime Minister Mossaddegh
The trial of Prime Minister Mossaddegh
The trial of Prime Minister Mossaddegh
7 Comments
Great Video, Great Information BUT, you have MAJOR Facts Wrong!! Starting with the Shah’s description of Arrogant, autocrat and on, Yes!, partially true as any dictator is all those and more. You failed to realize that the Shah brought Iran from a country that was in the 14th century back to PRESENT in his reign. Secondly, the Shah could have snuffed out the demonstrators and killed, hundreds and thousdands as his generals suggested,BUT DIDN’T the SHAH REFUSED TO KILL his own IRANIAN PEOPLE(documented) he LOVED his People but DID persecute A SMALL number of his opposition as ANYONE Dictator would AND HE willingly Left his Beloved Land as that is what the people THOUGHT they WANTED. The Shah DID have political prisoners and they WERE Tortured by SAVAK an Israeli Trained secret group (Mosad-best in the world at torture-they taught Savak to clip off finger nails and boil eggs and shove them in prisoner rectums just a couple techniques they used back then) But TODAY the Mullahs have 25000 more people imprisoned WHERE IS AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL NOW???? the shah had UNDER 1000 get your FACTS STRAIGHT BEFORE you present important Information PLEASE!!! Absolutely Right that the USA granted him medical attention but you FAILED to state that the US cut his stay Short!!! and EVICTED their long time friend stabbed HIM in the BACK as the US does, sent his Family and Him to PANAMA, the only friend of Shah was Anwar Sadat of Egypt whom took him in and paid for it w his own life LATER. but the Biggest thing you Fail to Note and bring attention to is the so called “Islamic revolution” ALSO a CIA setup, signed, SEALED and delivered. You see, in 1978 Iran had the 3rd most Powerful Military in the world( a lil fact sheepple don’t realize based on the same technology that turned the US rescue team of hostages to CHARCOAL) so when the Shah was becoming TOO powerful and asking for a bigger Cut for the IRANIAN PEOPLE, the Ziofascista got worried and had him taken down JUST LIKE THE MOSADEQ situation of 1953 that you NOW have learned about. So then you get it right again and say Iran replaced one Dictator with another 2 Dictators (the implanted Mullahs) and that’s how the Monolethic Group Wanted it! and what they want shall Be executed by the puppets US-Brit-Israel-Fra-Russia. However, this Cat has gotten out of the BAG now and will not be Stopped. The causes that they have set in motion have come back FULL CIRCLE and Nipped them in the Rear (KOON). They are going to learn a lesson of accountability that will Truly Humiliate them. The US can’t do SHIT to Iran unless they have WWIII on their mind, or FOR IRAN. Change HAS to come from the Iranian People when they are Ready, only the People of IRAN CAN DO FOR IRAN what is BEST for Iran with the help of the One and Only Creator. Iran is a blessed land because it once held Hafiz, Rumi, and many other Sufi Light and Sound Masters. The people need to Read those works and Awaken and not fall for this new Version of Islam “they” are trying to jam down their throats.
Thanks for the comment. Never actually insulted the Shah…quoted a source.
Dear icarus, I never said that you insulted the shah, I was merely pointing out a few huge errors present in that source.
[...] History: The 1953 CIA Coup d’état of Iran | I Acknowledge Class Warfare Exists. Share this:FacebookStumbleUponLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. Leave a Comment [...]
insulting the shah was done by his so called friends that sucked his country dry of valuable oil and gave him weapons instead. And by the nitwit backward people that fell hook line and sinker by the CIA and Ziofascista propoganda and look what they have now!!! the same thing. Hyperinflation, NO FREEDOM as US PERSIANS that live in the USA or Europe do. MORE OPPRESSION, and 15x more Political prisoners than the Shah. the iranian people are Hostages inside their own home, they have been given some nice infrastructure and nice things here and there, but where is the real VALUE in those things. Rise up and take your country back if you have half your testes left.
[...] Fun fact: Iran has never attacked another country in modern history. Another fun fact – America and Britain overthrew the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran because he wanted to sell oil to the highest bidder via “free markets” as opposed to letting the British steal their oil from them. If you don’t know that story – then you won’t understand Iran’s distrust of America. Read about that HERE. [...]
[...] the next few decades. Iran knows that history; Americans do not. You can read all about that HERE. At the time of Mosaddegh’s sham trial he said this: Yes, my sin – my greater sin, and [...]