In August 1953, Britain and the US executed Operation Ajax – a plan to remove Iran’s popular, democratically elected Prime Minister,Mohammed Mossadeq, and replace him with a military dictatorship. Hundreds would die in the attempt, and the Middle East would be remade – all for the sake of oil.

The story begins in 1901, when the Shah of Iran granted the newly-formed Anglo-Persian Oil Company exclusive rights to Iran’s oil, so long as they gave him 16% of the profits. By 1914 the British government owned 51% of the company’s shares; by 1950 Iran was the source for 40% of the West’s oil and 75% of Europe’s. Controlling Iran’s oil was a strategic concern.

This concern was multiplied as the 1950s was a politically tumultuous period across the world. Venezuela and Saudi Arabia had succeeded in getting more control over their oil, and Iran wanted to follow suit. Mohammed Mossadeq was an Iranian MP who led the way in demanding nationalisation of their oil. Under intense pressure, Britain finally agreed to a 50/50 split, but this was too little too late and, on April 27th 1950, Mossadeq became Prime Minister of Iran and fully nationalised the oilfields.

Anyone who has studied the bestially brutal British Empire, past and present , knows that they would not take this lightly. Britain teamed up with the oil cartel of the day to implement an embargo on Iranian oil: in 1950 Iran exported 31 million tons of oil, yet from 1952-53 this dropped to 118,000 tons. However, crippling the country was not enough: Britain drew up ‘Plan Y’, which envisioned a total takeover of the oilfields by an invasion over land, sea and air (sound familiar?).

But changing the situation in Iran would not be easy. Mossadeq’s personal popularity was so high that he was even named Time magazine’s ‘Man Of The Year’ in 1951. Britain would need allies, so they turned to the US, and this is where it gets interesting. Despite their concerns, the US, under Truman preferred Iran to remain under Mossadeq – a known anti-Communist, rather than invade and push the USSR into intervening in their neighbour’s affairs. But Iran had been crippled so thoroughly by Britain’s embargoes that when the US leadership changed and Eisenhower became President, what he saw was a poor country that was susceptible to Communism – a situation which Britain had deliberately created. Eisenhower was so convinced that Mossadeq was unreliable, that when he offered the US a 40% discount on Iranian oil Eisenhower refused and demanded Iran pay Britain ‘compensation’ for nationalising their oil. Out of desperation Mossadeq started selling oil to the USSR and China, which he had been avoiding until then and this only further cemented Eisenhower’s position.

And so, in 1953, the board was set for the takeover for Iran. But Britain still had to put its pieces into play.

In February, tribal leaders were backed by Britain and Iran’s own Shah to rebel against Mossadeq’s government. They failed, as did the attempt by Ayatollah Kashani to raise a mob and attack Mossadeq in his house. Mossadeq managed to escape over his back wall.

But if there’s anything the enemies of Muslims are good at, it’s to persevere in the Ummah’s destruction. In June 1953, Operation Ajax was approved: first, Mossadeq would be painted as a Communist – and therefore an enemy in both Iranian and western media; secondly, popular dissent and uprisings would be encouraged, to undermine Mossadeq’s popularity; thirdly, the Shah would publically demand Prime Minister Mossadeq to step down; lastly, a puppet ruler – Fazlollah Zahedi – would be installed. The US sent Kermit Roosevelt and General Norman Schwarzkopf to coordinate the operation on the ground.

On August 15th, soldiers went to Mossadeq’s house to enforce his dismissal, but his presidential guards overcame them. Mossadeq came out and demanded the arrest of Zahedi. The cowardly Shah, fearing reprisals, fled to Baghdad. However, the canny Rosevelt capitalised on the chaos and hired a mob to pose as pro-Mossadeq Communists and smash any signs of the Shah and Islam andpolice were bribed to keep out of the way. 2 days later, on 19th August 1953, this same rent-a-mob was paid to switch sides and pose as pro-Shah supporters and march on Mossadeq’s house; the army attacked his house with artillery, tanks and bazookas. 300 died, with some members of the mob with US dollars still stuffed in their pockets.

Mossadeq escaped yet again, but decided to surrender. He would face 3 years in solitary confinement, followed by house arrest until his death in 1967.

The rest, as they say, is history: Zahedi came out of hiding from the US embassy and ran a government under the Shah that was so brutal that Egypt and Israel sent observers to learn from him. This would lead to a polarised society in Iran, powered by a deep hatred for the US and West, which would lead to the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

So what can we learn from this history?

Firstly, that the past has a direct impact on the Ummah’s present situation and it’s imperative we all study history.

Secondly, the very idea of the US and Britain ever having a benevolent, humanitarian foreign policy is a lie.

Thirdly, that the war hawks who want to keep the Muslim world destabilised and hate Muslim have long-term plans and enough patience to fulfil them.

No matter what your thoughts are on Iran, millions of peoples’ lives have been affected through just this one act of Western imperialism: in the coup itself, the subsequent revolution, the Iran-Iraq War, the Syrian civil war… and the list goes on. Until the Ummah can unite and stop arguing over petty differences this will continue, as Allah doesn’t help those who don’t help themselves.

Sources
Operation Ajax – Iran and the CIA coup (Part 1 & Part 2)

CIA Admits It Was Behind Iran’s Coup (by Foreign Policy)