The 1953 Revolution in Iran
Islam, Oil, the Cold War, the Shah and the CIA
What are we going to talk about • • • • •
Brief History of (Modern) Persia Primary Players in Coup Oil The Coup, Parts I and II Conclusion
Chronology I • • • •
660 Arabs invade Persia. Convert or die. 1501 Shiite state religion. 400 yrs of despair. 1901 Oil Concession to William D’Arcy. 1906 Iranian Constitution with the Majlis. Conflict btwn clerics and secularists. 1911 democratization defeated. Clerics prevail. • 1907 British & Russia Treaty divides Iran North and South.
Chronology II • 1908 D’Arcy strikes oil. Private capital. APOC. Britian buy in. Thereafter, gov’t oil. • 1919 Anglo-Persian Agreement. Russia counters into N. Iran. Cossack Brigades. Tudeh. • 1926 – 1941 Reza Pahlavi Shah. Son follows.
Chronology III • 1949 Assassination attempt on new Shah. Establishes Senate. Mossadegh establishes National Front Party. • 1951 National Front wins majority in Majlis, nominates Mossadegh to be PM, appointed by Shah. National Front appoints Speaker of Parliament - Ayatollah Kashani. Mossadegh & Kashani allies then foes. Kashani pro-sharia. • 1951 All attempts to negotiate oil deal fail.
Chronology IV • 1951 Nationalize British oil. Brits pull out, embargo, blockade. Revenue into Iran plummets. US and Brits at odds over tactics. • 1952 US (Ike) and Brits decide to cooperate in face of rising Iran nationalism/socialism/fear of communism. • 1952 Elections. National Front, Mossadegh’s socio-politico base, loses power. Chaos.
Chronology V • 1952/53 Ayatollah Kashani withdraws support for Mossadegh – not Islamic/Shia enough. Kashani plus Khameni manuever for coup. • 1952/53 Economic strife. Mossadegh dissolves Majlis, strips Shah of all powers. Autocratic. • 1953 Tudeh Communist Party supports Mossadegh. Mob tactics discredit Mossadegh.
The Players • • • • • • •
Anglo-Iranian Oil Company Mohammed Mossadegh, Prime Minister Ayatollah Kashani and Ayatollah Khomeni John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State Allen Dulles, Director of the CIA Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran Kermit Roosevelt, CIA Mideast Bureau Chief
Mohammed Mossadegh • • • • • • •
Well educated Honest Mercurial. Dramatic. Nationalist Social - Democrat Secular - Zoroastrian Intransigent – Martyrdom is good
Ayatollah Abolkassem Kashani • Undisputed leader of Shiite Islam in Iraq 1940 – 1960 • Poor and lower working class. Member of Majlis • Opportunist. Power derived from Islam • Sharia Law • Anti-British/West
Shah Pahlavi • Weak son to harsh Father – Reza Shah • Neither strategic nor tactical. Brit/US support • Supported Constitution • Misread public • Underestimated Islamic Fundamenatlists
Kermit Roosevelt • • • • • •
Harvard Grad OSS, CIA Mideast Chief Pro-Arab Highly motivated Operation AJAX Minimize the mistakes, maximize the success • Overstated CIA role?
Oil – Riches and Despair • 1901 Concession, 16% of revenue to Iran • German, Russian and British interests. • 1933 Renegotiate concession min. payment $1M annual. Abadan slums the worst. • US/Saudi Arabia/Kuwait 50/50 split angered Brits. 1950 US filled with oil. • Brit sold oil worldwide. Royal Navy flush.
Oil Breeds Hatred of British • US unable to broker deal btwn Iran and Brits • Mossadegh wants total control. Foreigners out. 1951 Nationalizes AIOP but no Iranians could do the work. GDP plummets. • Brits total shutdown of oil in & out. Strong arms international trade of oil in/out of Iran.
The Coup
Coup I – August 1953 • Shah had rejected coup from all parties. Then Mossadegh dissolved Parliament. Loses support of National Front • Ike, Dulles’, Brits plot. CIA/Iranians trigger. • Shah initiates coup by issuing Constitutional decrees dismissing Mossadegh. Coup uncovered by Tudeh. Conspirators arrested. Shah out of town then to Baghdad then Rome. • Mossadegh stays as PM. Weakened.
Coup II – 3 Days later • Tehran in disarray. • Tudeh Communists riot against business district and Shah supporters. CIA $ • Shah supporters, Shiite religious and military counter attack. Army wins the day. CIA $ • Shah returns to Tehran. Mossadegh arrested, tried, sentenced to death. Shah commutes to 3 yrs prison and house exile. Shia undergound.
Conclusion • US geopolitics trumped British oil. Azerbaijan, Egypt, Soviet Europe, Mao, Korea, Reds in US. • Iron Curtain Baltic to Persian Gulf? • Who would US support British or Mossadegh? • National Front outlawed. Tudeh crushed. Islam exiled (France) or went underground. • Oil was the place holder. Pro-west Shah the gate keeper. Post Coup – 25 yrs stability.