12. In 1953, the US Sponsored a Coup to Overthrow Iran’s Prime Minister
In 1951, Iranians rallied around a politician named Mohammad Mossadegh, who became prime minister. Although Mossadegh was in favor of secularization, he stood up to Western interests by, among other things, nationalizing the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, thereby bringing it under Iranian control and ending the British exploitation of the Iranian oil fields. Such a move was undoubtedly in the best interests of Iran, whose people were tired of being puppets of Western countries while the shah grew increasingly rich and powerful. However, the oil-hungry West was increasingly reliant on its control of oil fields in the Middle East, and Western countries were not keen to give up the oil fields or their addiction to oil.
The United States and Britain responded with a coup that overthrew Mossadegh in 1953. The coup spawned deep resentment towards the West among the Iranian people. With the help of the United States, Muhammad Reza Shah, who had been in power since his father had abdicated in 1941, set up the Iranian intelligence agency, SAVAK, to brutally suppress dissent against the Western-backed Pahlavi dynasty. Despite his efforts to modernize the country, Muhammad Reza Shah failed to upgrade it politically by bringing democracy and listening to the increasingly discontent voice of the people.