The US plotted and toppled Iran's regime in 1953. Are we seeing a repeat today?

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6 days ago

The 1953 CIA-backed coup in Iran remains one of the most consequential regime changes orchestrated by the United States. Decades later, with tensions rising again between the US, Israel, and Iran, echoes of that intervention reverberate. As Donald Trump talks regime change, we look at how foreign powers once overthrew Iran's elected leader to secure oil interests read more
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran, June 4, 2025. File Image/Reuters
With US President Donald Trump issuing warnings and discussing the possibility of removing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — this is not the first time that foreign powers have fundamentally altered the West Asian country's path.
We take a look at the 1953 US- and UK-backed coup that toppled Iran's democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh.
Calls for regime change have been growing louder with Israel pushing for more aggressive action, and the US bolstering its military presence.
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But for many Iranians, such moves echo a long history of foreign interference — particularly the CIA-orchestrated coup that ousted Mossadegh and reinstated monarchical rule under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Mossadegh's rise and the nationalisation of oil
Mohammad Mossadegh became a revered figure in Iranian politics during the early 1950s. Known for his nationalist policies and social reforms, his most consequential act was the nationalisation of the Iranian oil industry.
Until then, Iran's vast oil wealth was under the control of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, a British firm that reaped substantial profits while Iran received a limited share.
In 1951, with widespread support in parliament and among the public, Mossadegh initiated legislation to nationalise the oil fields. This move triggered an intense backlash from Britain, which saw it as a direct threat to its economic and strategic interests.
Negotiations between Mossadegh and the British government broke down, and Mossadegh barred further British involvement in Iran's oil sector. In response, Britain sought ways to undermine his government.
At first, the British government attempted to convince the Shah to dismiss Mossadegh by issuing a royal decree through parliament. That effort failed and only served to elevate Mossadegh's stature among Iranians.
Britain, reluctant to act alone, appealed to the United States, invoking Cold War anxieties by suggesting that Mossadegh, although an avowed anti-communist, might align with the Tudeh Party and the Soviet Union.
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Operation Ajax: How the coup was engineered
Under US President Dwight D Eisenhower, the United States agreed to participate in a covert operation to remove Mossadegh from power.
This effort, known as Operation Ajax, was led by CIA officer Kermit Roosevelt Jr, the grandson of former US President Theodore Roosevelt. Alongside Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), the CIA began laying the groundwork for a coup.
The CIA and SIS funded propaganda campaigns, purchased influence within Iranian media outlets and recruited collaborators from within religious and political groups.
According to Stephen Kinzer, author of All the Shah's Men, Roosevelt succeeded in recruiting clerics, bribing newspapers and spreading anti-Mossadegh messaging to turn public sentiment against the prime minister.
He also worked to convince Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi — initially reluctant — to back the plan.
The first coup attempt failed when Mossadegh learned of the plot and resisted. On the following morning, he announced his victory on national radio. Despite the setback, Roosevelt refused to give up and launched a second, more forceful attempt.
On August 19, 1953, with support from pro-Shah military units and orchestrated public demonstrations, Mossadegh's government was finally overthrown.
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The Shah returned from exile to Iran and resumed rule, while Mossadegh was arrested, tried and sentenced to three years in prison. He spent the rest of his life under house arrest.
Documents later revealed that within two days of the coup's success, the CIA covertly made $5,000,000 available to stabilise the new government led by General Fazlollah Zahedi, the newly appointed prime minister.
Declassified documents amid a long-coming CIA acknowledgement
Although Iranians had long believed the US and Britain were responsible for Mossadegh's ouster, official confirmation came decades later. On August 19, 2013, the CIA publicly admitted for the first time that it was directly involved in orchestrating the coup.
The admission came in the form of declassified documents published by the National Security Archive and made available to George Washington University researchers under the Freedom of Information Act.
These documents detailed how the CIA collaborated with the British SIS to provoke unrest through disinformation and street-level agitation. They confirmed that the coup had the formal approval of Eisenhower and was centrally directed by the CIA from within Iran.
Earlier, in 2009, then-US President Barack Obama acknowledged America's role in the 1953 coup, describing it as a 'difficult part of our history.'
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The 2013 declassification was the first formal institutional recognition of the operation, providing a clearer understanding of how foreign powers conspired to subvert a democratic government in Iran.
The long-term fallout which led to the 1979 Islamic Revolution
The reinstatement of the Shah after Mossadegh's ouster ushered in 25 years of pro-Western monarchical rule. Backed by the US, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi pursued aggressive modernisation programmes and centralised power.
However, discontent grew over time, fuelled by allegations of corruption, repression by the SAVAK (secret police) and widening economic inequalities.
By the late 1970s, millions of Iranians — secular nationalists, leftists and Islamists — took to the streets demanding an end to the Shah's rule. He was widely seen as an illegitimate ruler imposed by foreign powers.
The protests culminated in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which saw the Shah exiled and the establishment of the Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a Shia cleric.
Khomeini's leadership was rooted in the doctrine of Velayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist), and he became Iran's Supreme Leader until his death. In 1989, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei succeeded him and continues to serve in that role today.
The 1953 coup is often cited by Iranian officials, political figures and academics as a root cause of the revolution and a key reason for the country's persistent mistrust of Western powers.
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The memory of Mossadegh's ouster remains central to Iran's political consciousness.
Fast forward to today
Fast forward to the present day, and echoes of 1953 are once again visible in the geopolitical confrontation between Iran, the United States and Israel.
Following Israel's expanded military actions against Iranian targets, Trump has openly discussed removing Iran's leadership, while warning that 'IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON.'
Speaking about the potential for direct US involvement against Iran, Trump said, 'I may do it, I may not do it — nobody knows what I'm going to do.' He also wrote on Truth Social that 'Iran cannot win this war.'
Although he reportedly rejected an Israeli proposal to assassinate Khamenei, Trump added, 'We know where he is hiding. He (Khamenei) is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers.'
Amid increasing pressure, the United States has deployed over 31 refuelling aircraft to Europe and redirected the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier to the region to bolster its military capacity and protect its interests.
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Israel has requested US assistance in deploying bunker-busting weaponry like the GBU-57 to target Iran's fortified Fordow nuclear facility, which is embedded deep underground.
Despite this, Iran has avoided escalating the conflict with the US directly, refraining from targeting American bases or disrupting international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz — a move seen by analysts as an effort to prevent American entry into the war.
Khamenei responded to Trump's rhetoric by stating, 'The US President threatens us. With his absurd rhetoric, he demands that the Iranian people surrender to him. They should make threats against those who are afraid of being threatened. The Iranian nation isn't frightened by such threats.'
With inputs from agencies