Operation Ajax
| Operation Ajax | The 1953 Coup in Iran | |
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In 1953 the Central Intelligence Agency working in tandem with British intelligence overthrew the democratically elected leader of Iran Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh, who was educated in the West and pro-America. Shortly after being elected in 1951 he nationalized the British run oil fields, denying Britain control of Iran’s hugely lucrative oil infrastructure. The operation included the use of techniques such as; propaganda, bribery, engineered demonstrations using agents of influence, and false flag operations. “The CIA’s agents harassed religious leaders and bombed one’s home in order to turn them against Mossadeqh.” They also attacked mosques, and distributed phony anti-Mossadegh handbills. Mossadegh was arrested and spent the rest of his days under house arrest. The Shah was reinstated, the West regained control of the oil fields, and the CIA created the Iranian secret police, SAVAK, and a twenty-five year reign of terror and torture commenced. The operation was seen as a huge success towards western intelligence agencies, but it was just one small operation of continued foreign influence in Iran. Most importantly, the decision to overthrow Mossadegh was to preserve Western control of Iran’s oil by reinstating the Shah who was friendly towards the West. The excuse for American involvement was a perceived communist threat. Further justifications for the overthrow include; the failure of diplomacy, the approval by the Shah, Mossadegh’s alienation, and Eisenhower and Churchill coming to power. Originally Operation Ajax was considered a great success, but is now considered a failure given its blowback. Operation Ajax was an antecedent for many future problems between Iran and the West including; the hostage crisis of 1979 and the Islamic fundamentalist movement of Ayatollah Khomeini. The success also depends on if the communist threat and the popularity of Mossadegh were real or imagined. The
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In 1953 the Central Intelligence Agency working in tandem with British intelligence overthrew the democratically elected leader of Iran Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh, who was educated in the West and pro-America. Shortly after being elected in 1951 he nationalized the British run oil fields, denying Britain control of Iran’s hugely lucrative oil infrastructure. The operation included the use of techniques such as; propaganda, bribery, engineered demonstrations using agents of influence, and false flag operations. “The CIA’s agents harassed religious leaders and bombed one’s home in order to turn them against Mossadeqh.” They also attacked mosques, and distributed phony anti-Mossadegh handbills. Mossadegh was arrested and spent the rest of his days under house arrest. The Shah was reinstated, the West regained control of the oil fields, and the CIA created the Iranian secret police, SAVAK, and a twenty-five year reign of terror and torture commenced. The operation was seen as a huge success towards western intelligence agencies, but it was just one small operation of continued foreign influence in Iran. Most importantly, the decision to overthrow Mossadegh was to preserve Western control of Iran’s oil by reinstating the Shah who was friendly towards the West. The excuse for American involvement was a perceived communist threat. Further justifications for the overthrow include; the failure of diplomacy, the approval by the Shah, Mossadegh’s alienation, and Eisenhower and Churchill coming to power. Originally Operation Ajax was considered a great success, but is now considered a failure given its blowback. Operation Ajax was an antecedent for many future problems between Iran and the West including; the hostage crisis of 1979 and the Islamic fundamentalist movement of Ayatollah Khomeini. The success also depends on if the communist threat and the popularity of Mossadegh were real or imagined. The