Thread

On this day in 1953, the CIA & MI6 orchestrated the coup against Iran’s democratically-elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddegh. Mosaddegh had pursued nationalist policies and was widely-popular, having nationalised Iran’s oil to stop British exploitation of Iran’s natural resources. Winston Churchill considered Iranian oil to be Britain’s. Contrary to the US’ and UK’s claims to promote democracy and freedom around the world, the US and UK backed The Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to overthrow Mossadegh and return Iran to authoritarianism, while being a compliant leader that followed Washington’s and London’s orders. After the coup, Iran’s oil was once again privatised and divided up among the UK, US, and some European countries through a new oil consortium in 1954. 40% of the shares went to the British oil company BP. 5 American oil companies had significant stakes in the consortium. The dictatorship of Pahlavi, enforced by the ruthless SAVAK, for Western oil companies to steal Iran’s oil, triggered such anger among the Iranian population that it led to the revolution in 1979, which gave birth to the Islamic Republic of Iran.