On this day in 1953, the U.S. and British governments initiated a coup d'état against the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran, Mohammad Mosaddegh. Mosaddegh had been preparing to nationalize Iran's British-owned oil fields.

Mosaddegh had sought to audit the documents of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), later re-named British Petroleum, and to limit the company's control over Iranian oil reserves. When the AIOC refused to cooperate with the Iranian government, the parliament voted to nationalize Iran's oil industry and to expel foreign corporate representatives from the country.

In response, the British began a worldwide boycott of Iranian oil to pressure Iran economically and engaged in subterfuge to undermine Mosaddegh's government.

Judging Mosaddegh to be unreliable and fearing a communist takeover, Winston Churchill and the Eisenhower administration overthrew Iran's government. The coup action was also supported by the Iranian clergy, who opposed Mosaddegh's secularism.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) hired mobsters to stage pro-Shah riots and paid people to travel to Tehran and take over the streets of the city. Between 200 and 300 people were killed in the ensuing mayhem.

Mosaddegh was arrested, tried, and convicted of treason by the Shah's military court. Many of his supporters were imprisoned, several received the death penalty. Mosaddegh himself lived the rest of his life under house arrest, dying in 1967.

After the coup, the Shah ruled as a monarch for the next 26 years until he was overthrown in the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

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  • luddybuddy [comrade/them]
    ·
    4 months ago

    Heard on the street: Guy: Dude, why’d you break up with your girlfriend? She is both hot and rich! Dude: her politics are incoherent! She is a Maoist but loves Hamas!

      • Black_Mald_Futures [any]
        ·
        4 months ago

        I want galaxybrain to date this guy's ex, and sell Hexbear ltd. the rights to the made for TV hallmark movie so we can use the proceeds to fund communism

          • Black_Mald_Futures [any]
            ·
            4 months ago

            I mean you can keep the rights to the movie if you want but why would you need to, with a hot, rich new Maoist gf??

            • GalaxyBrain [they/them]
              ·
              4 months ago

              I'm not sure she's gonna have buy out hallmark kinda money, that's a pretty big level of rich. And if it were to happen I may have to tske a percentage off Comminism for myself cause I will for sure be taking a hands on approach and producing all and directing at least some Hallmark movies. If you want a sausage factory to find communism with, a film production company is in super dangerous hands if they're mine. Hallmark would be dead in a year and I'd make 3 really good mid budget movies.

              First would be a sorta Coen brothers eswue comedy about Aldrich Ames. There's already a movie about his exploits but it's all serious and 2006 patrioty. It's begging to be a comedy.

              Second would be a kinda cross between The Warriors and Escape from New York and also Blues Brothers called Road to Rebel City about a touring rock band dealing with neon 80s problems on tour and also everyone knows martial arts and will use them over thr smallest disagreements. Bit of Miami connection there too.

              Third would be a super long version of Moby Dick shot mostly on tiny pond