The Coup: 1953

64 Years Later, CIA Finally Releases Details of Iranian Coup

... In 1908, oil was struck and The Anglo-Persian Oil Company was established. Just before the start of World War I in 1914, the British government purchased 51% of the company’s shares. The British thus created a beachhead and practically colonized the southern west corner of Iran, directly and indirectly interfering in the political affairs of the entire country. APOC even cheated on the meager 16% profit sharing payment to Iran and treated Iranian oil workers with contempt and racism in their own land. It all came to a head in July 1946 when about 6,000 Iranian oil workers went on a strike in the oil city of Aghajari. Their clash with government troops resulted in more than 200 dead or wounded workers.

Mossadegh envisioned an Iran that was independent, free and democratic. He believed no country could be politically independent and free unless it first achieved economic independence. He sought to renegotiate and reach an equitable and fair restitution of rights of Iran with AIOC but was faced with intransigence by the company.

To put an end to 150 years of British political interference, economic exploitation and plundering of Iran’s national resources, Mossadegh engineered the nationalization of the oil industry. Iran’s main priority in this action was not revenue. As Mossadegh put it, “The moral aspect of oil nationalization is more important than its economic aspect.”

Mossadegh first presented the idea of nationalization to the Majles mandated “Oil Commission” on March 8, 1951.

Meanwhile, the British continued to undermine Mossadegh’s authority by inciting division in the country, tightening the worldwide embargo on the purchase of Iranian oil and freezing Iranian assets. When all attempts failed, Britain concluded that ‘Mossadegh must go’ by any means necessary. Working jointly with the American CIA, they plotted a coup to overthrow his democratically elected government.

On August 15, 1953, with participation of the Shah and their Iranian collaborators, a CIA drafted plan codenamed Operation Ajax, headed by Kermit Roosevelt, Jr., went into action, but it failed to dislodge Mossadegh from power. In the second attempt on August 19, 1953, [28 Mordad] the violent overthrow of the government was accomplished. Mossadegh escaped capture, but his home was invaded, looted and burned.

The following day Mossadegh surrendered to authorities and was imprisoned. During this bloody episode, many hundreds were killed or wounded. Followers of Mossadegh were arrested, imprisoned, tortured or even murdered. Mossadegh’s Foreign Minister, Dr. Hossein Fatemi went into hiding but was captured a few months later. He was beaten, stabbed and, after a show trial, executed by a firing squad. The reign of terror had begun.

Tried as a traitor in a military court, on December 19, 1953, Mossadegh pronounced:

“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 the cost to myself, 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.”

Mossadegh was convicted of treason. He was placed in solitary confinement for three years followed by house arrest for the remainder of his life in his ancestral village of Ahmadabad. On March 5th, 1967, Mohammad Mossadegh died at age 84, one year and ten months after the passing of his beloved wife of 64 years.

http://www.mohammadmossadegh.com/biography/

https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/06/20/64-years-later-cia-finally-releases-details-of-iranian-coup-iran-tehran-oil/

https://youtu.be/XzrVezhXvBg

https://youtu.be/v3OJ0QPD5bM