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India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
The coup that shaped Iran-US Relations
On August 18, 1953, after the Shah fled to Iraq, the CIA asked its Middle East head Kermit Roosevelt to halt Operation Ajax in Iran. (See part 1) Unfazed, Roosevelt, holed up in a safehouse, unleashed his backup plan. 'We staged chaos,' he later boasted in a documentary, The CIA in in the StreetsOn August 19, Tehran's newspapers, paid by the CIA, published the Shah's decrees replacing Prime Minister Mosaddegh with General Fazlollah Zahedi. Shah's followers, joined by soldiers bribed by Roosevelt, and tribesmen, led by a goon called Sha'aban Jafari, spilled into the streets. The mobs, posing as Tudeh Party communists, rampaged through Tehran, smashing shops and defacing mosques to provoke fear of a Red takeover. Simultaneously, Sha'aban's pro-Shah thugs marched toward the city center, chanting 'Long live the Shah! Death to Mosaddegh!' Amid the anarchy, the CIA seized Radio Tehran, broadcasting the Shah's decree and fake news of Mosaddegh's fall. The lie became noon, tanks loyal to Zahedi rolled into Tehran's Kokh Avenue, where Mosaddegh's villa stood 100 yards from the Shah's Winter Palace. As Mosaddegh's guards fired from their fortifications, tanks pounded the villa. The battle lasted nine hours, claiming at least 300 lives, 200 at Mosaddegh's residence alone. 'The home was found vacant,' wrote The New York Times, as Mosaddegh and his cabinet escaped by climbing a garden wall. His personal bodyguard lay dead, and Colonel Ezatollah Mumtaz, who betrayed the royalists by tipping off Mosaddegh on August 15, was torn apart by the evening, General Zahedi seized Radio Tehran, broadcasting his triumph, promising re-establishment of a rule of law, improved standards of living and an early Shah ReturnsIran, historically known as Persia, boasts a rich history spanning millennia, marked by powerful empires. Persia's history began with the Elamites (2700–539 BCE), followed by the Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE), founded by Cyrus the Great. This empire, known for its vast reach and administrative innovations, fell to Alexander the Great. Subsequent dynasties included the Parthians (247 BCE–224 CE) and Sassanids (224–651 CE), who established Zoroastrianism as the dominant religion. The Arab conquest in 651 CE introduced Islam, shaping Iran's culture under the Umayyad and Abbasid Safavid dynasty (1501–1736) established Twelver Shi'ism as Iran's state religion, fostering a distinct national identity. After their decline, the Qajar dynasty (1794–1925) struggled with internal weakness and foreign interference, particularly from Britain and Russia, who competed for influence over Iran's resources and strategic position. The 1906 Constitutional Revolution limited royal power, establishing a 1921, Reza Shah Pahlavi, a military officer, seized power through a coup, becoming prime minister and then Shah in 1925, overthrowing the Qajar dynasty. Reza Shah's pro-German leanings alarmed the Allies, leading to a 1941 invasion by Britain and the Soviet Union. He was forced to abdicate in favour of his son. Exiled, he died in South Africa in 1944. His son, Mohammad Reza, ascended at 21, ruling with the help of the West. But the failed coup on August 15, 1953, had forced him to flee to 22, 1953, Tehran, 11:20 AMThe Shah's twin-engine Piper touched down in Tehran. According to The New York Times, Zahedi, half-entering the plane, kissed the Shah's knee, a gesture of loyalty. Clad in a gold-braided Air Force Commander's uniform flown to Baghdad for the occasion, the Shah stepped out, his eyes moist with emotions. His return was a spectacle of loyalty. High officials and courtiers swarmed him, kissing his shoes. From behind the rails, a crowd led by Sha'aban, called the Brainless One, chanted slogans hailing Shah. Sheep and an ox were slaughtered in his path as a Thanksgiving evening, the Shah addressed the nation, condemning the Tudeh Party communists and Mosaddegh without naming them. 'Traitors had constantly tried to sidetrack the glorious national struggle,' he declared, accusing them of wasting 'the nation's money and the spilled blood of innocent persons to promote hypocrisy.' Zahedi, praising the Shah's words as 'crystal-clear water,' promised to prosecute Mosaddegh for 'illegal' Pravda accused the US of orchestrating the coup. 'This time the weapon of subversive activity was directed against Iran, which did not wish to become the submissive slave of American monopolies,' the Soviet mouthpiece thundered on August 20. In Tehran, anti-Soviet sentiment flared, with royalists and a tank besieging the Soviet Embassy's iron surrendered on August 21, emerging from a Tehran hideout to face trial. 'My only crime is loving Iran,' he said during the trial. Sentenced to three years, he spent his final days under house arrest, dying in was once accused of being a Nazi stooge. Now Prime Minister, he presided over a purge. Hundreds of National Front leaders and communist Tudeh Party members were arrested. Hossein Fatemi, Mosaddegh's foreign minister, was executed in November was no mere power grab. It was a high-stakes chess game, played for oil and Cold War supremacy, with Iran as the board. The West had won this round, but the Russians were waiting to strike FalloutThe coup was a triumph for the CIA, costing just $100,000 of the $1 million budget, according to leaked reports. A new oil deal gave American and British firms 40% of Iran's oil, with Iran getting 50%, a far cry from Mosaddegh's vision of Iran's complete the victory was pyrrhic. The CIA's own 2013 declassification admitted: 'The coup sowed the seeds of resentment that haunt US-Iran relations.' The Shah's regime, propped up by US arms and SAVAK - the Iranian Gestapo - terror, grew repressive. It fueled anti-Americanism, leading to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when students stormed the US Embassy, shouting 'Death to America!' Operation Ajax was over, but the thriller had only begun.(Next: The Revolution)- Ends advertisement
NDTV
4 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Explained: Why US-Israel Should Be Wary Of An Iranian Regime Change
New Delhi: The United States launched coordinated airstrikes against Iran's nuclear facilities on Sunday. The targets included the underground uranium enrichment site at Fordow, the centrifuge production centre at Natanz, and critical nuclear infrastructure at Isfahan. US President Donald Trump declared the operation a "spectacular military success." He said that the targeted sites, described by US intelligence as central to Iran's nuclear programme, had been "completely and totally obliterated." Tehran maintains that its nuclear ambitions are strictly civilian, rooted in energy production and medical research. Iran's atomic programme, which accelerated following Washington's 2018 withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has been a persistent flashpoint between Tehran and Washington. The rapid escalation between Iran and the US revives a deeper memory. Seventy-two years ago, in August 1953, the US and the United Kingdom orchestrated a covert operation to depose Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. How US Toppled A Democratic Government Mossadegh had come to power in 1951 on promises of nationalising the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, which was then under British control. The UK government, alarmed by the potential loss of strategic energy assets, found an eager partner in the US, which was increasingly concerned about the spread of Soviet influence during the Cold War. By mid-1953, US President Dwight Eisenhower had authorised a CIA-led operation to depose Mossadegh. Kermit Roosevelt Jr, the CIA officer in charge, entered Iran via Iraq in July and coordinated a wide-ranging network of army officers, mob leaders, and political operatives. Disinformation campaigns, including fake communist propaganda to discredit Mossadegh's Tudeh Party, played a key role. On August 19, 1953, pro-Shah forces stormed the Radio Tehran station and broadcast false reports of Mossadegh's resignation. The broadcast sparked mass confusion and helped the coup's momentum. The Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who had fled to Italy, returned to Iran days later to reclaim the throne with US and British backing. For the next 26 years, he ruled as a pro-Western monarch, overseeing significant economic modernisation while presiding over severe political repression via SAVAK, the feared intelligence agency. The CIA formally acknowledged its role in the coup in a declassified 2013 document. It stated that the overthrow of Mossadegh was a "CIA-directed act of US foreign policy," conceived and executed at the highest levels of government. The 1953 coup planted seeds of lasting suspicion towards Western intentions. It fed directly into the anti-imperialist ideology that would characterise the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which overthrew the Shah and installed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as Supreme Leader. Following the revolution, Iran and Iraq plunged into an eight-year war beginning in 1980. During the preceding decades, Iran's Imperial Air Force, developed in close partnership with the United States, was among the most advanced in the region. By the mid-1970s, Iran had become a forward-operating base for American and Western equipment, including massive stockpiles of US munitions. But the revolution upended that order. The air force's leadership was decimated by purges. As the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) struggled to maintain operations, many of its early strikes against Iraq in 1980 relied on weapons bought in the 1970s. Consequences Of Regime Change These foreign-imposed coups, proxy wars, and covert operations now form the basis of the Iranian government's interpretation of current events. Any suggestion of US-Israeli plans to unseat the Islamic Republic recalls for many Iranians not only the 1953 coup, but also the US-led interventions in Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan. All began with promises of liberation, but none ended in peace. Trump's stance towards Tehran has not yet included a formal endorsement of regime change. Still, officials close to the Israeli government have hinted that toppling Iran's leadership remains a long-term strategic objective. Some Israeli commentators have compared Iran's current leadership to Saddam Hussein's regime, implying that military action may be both necessary and inevitable. In Iraq, the fall of Saddam Hussein led to years of sectarian violence and the rise of ISIS. In Afghanistan, the Taliban were ousted in 2001 only to return to power in 2021. Libya's post-Gaddafi trajectory has witnessed civil war. In each case, American military intervention failed to produce the democratic, stable regimes that were promised. Instead, they left power vacuums and deepened regional instability. Iran's current leadership, widely condemned for its repression of political dissent, women's rights, and LGBTQ+ individuals, retains a measure of domestic support. Many Iranians oppose the clerical establishment but are wary of foreign-led change.
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First Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
The US plotted and toppled Iran's regime in 1953. Are we seeing a repeat today?
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. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 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. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 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. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 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.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 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. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 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. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 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
