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In 1953, the CIA carried out a coup against Iran’s democratic government led by Mossadegh, who sought to nationalize Iran’s oil industry. The coup returned power to the unpopular Shah, leading to increased westernization and anti-Western sentiment, ultimately resulting in the Iranian Revolution.
In August 1953, the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) carried out a coup against the democratic government of Mohammad Mossadegh in Iran. The CIA codename given to this coup was Operation Ajax. Operation Ajax remains important in world history because it is often held to be the initiator of anti-Western sentiment in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Since the London financier William D’Arcy found oil in Iran in 1908, the British, at the height of imperial power, had managed to impose the Anglo-Persian settlement on successive regimes in Iran. This deal gave Britain complete control of Iran’s military, treasury, transportation system, and communications network. In 1951, Mossadegh, adamantly against British colonial exploitation of his homeland, campaigned to nationalize Iran’s oil industry. As can be imagined, the British were, to say the least, unhappy with Mossadegh’s efforts.
The Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill, who adamantly sought to maintain control of oil in Iran, turned to the United States for help. Only at Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration in January 1953 did Winston Churchill receive the support he was looking for. Eisenhower is believed to have offered support because he viewed a possible Russian invasion of the weak state of Iran as a Cold War threat. The new US Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, and his brother, Allen Dulles, who was deputy director of the CIA, worked closely with CIA field commander, Kermit Roosevelt, to plan the coup against Mossadegh, which after a failed attempt became a success in August 1953.
The success of Operation Ajax returned power to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who depended heavily on the United States for arms and aid to further develop Iranian oil. With increased oil revenues from increased development and trade embargoes lifted by Britain, Iran has experienced a dramatic improvement in its economy. The Shah used the oil money to further westernize Iran, and the more unpopular he became, the more power he wielded, ultimately leading Iran as dictator.
It is debated by numerous scholars around the world whether Operation Ajax, and the restoration of the unpopular Reza Shah to power, was the beginning of the grievances towards the United States in Iran and led to the Iranian hostage crisis in which they were held 52 hostages inside the US Embassy in Tehran for 444 days. The aftermath of Operation Ajax is also believed to be the roots of the Iranian Revolution in which Reza Shah went into exile and the anti-Western Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini came to power.
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