Operation Ajax

Mohammad Mosaddegh, the democratically elected Prime Minister
for the National Front in Iran.

In 1953 American CIA and British Secret Intelligence Service (Today’s MI6) launched “Operation Ajax”, determined to cause a coup d’état to topple the reign of Mohammad Mosaddegh – which in the West was officially accusing of wishing to impose a dictatorship, because of new laws limiting the power of the Shah. The reality however, were his program to nationalize oil-export. So after the coup, they put the Shah of Iran (“The King of Kings”) back on the throne in a country, after a time in hiding in Rome during a time of unrest in Persia – something recommended by the CIA and SIS, to protect him – he would soon return, to eventually transform Iran into a police state, ruled by the feared and hated intelligence service SAVAK. The Shah was praised as a highly valuable Western ally. President Carter himself called the Shah one of (or) his best friends, and Persia “an island of stability” in the Middle-East.

Jimmy Carter and The Shah of Iran toasting their friendship.

 

There were strong reactions, not against dictatorship, but from the oil industry when it was stated by Iran’s parliament in 1951 that the oil industry would be nationalized, and there would be changes in Great Britain’s Anglo-Persian Oil Company (BP – British Petroleum today) access to Iran’s oil reserves, that had been flowing undisturbed, and as with with most foreign companies BP demanded a far larger percent of the revenue for themselves, then from the states that actually owned the oil.

All of these oil-rich Gulf states would eventually, because of the growing Arab nationalism,  meet a more and more fervent demand of at least an equal 50-50% share of the money generated from  exporting their globally vital natural resources.

Mohammad Mosaddegh was a widely popular politician. He won the vote for prime minister for the National front, and later became a national hero for his role in standing up to the colonial powers. It was exactly who the regular Iranian wanted, in a rising Nationalism and anti-imperialism. He even put out a vote to shut down the Iranian parliament, to consolidate his power, something that was supported by 99.9% of the population.

The British grip on Iran was thus threatened, after receiving oil from Iran since Winston Churchill first decided to switch from coal to oil, to improve the in the British Navy, prior to WW1.

This navy now moved into the Persian Gulf to boycott any export of Iran’s oil, something that put a stranglehold on the economy of Iran.

On pretexts of this “dictator” Mosaddegh, American CIA and the British SIS covert agents, led by Kermit Roosevelt Jr. and set in motion Operation Ajax, an operation that 4th of April 1953 the CIA-director Allen W. Dulles payed Roosevelt $1 million to be used in “any way to cause the fall of Mosaddegh”.

Central Intelligence Agency’s Allen Dulles, portrayed on the cover of TIME magazine with the writing “In an ancient game, new techniques and a new team” with the figure of a spy with a dagger in the background.

 

Operation Ajax, used the money to bribe politicians and government officials, aristocracy and criminals, with propaganda that Mosaddegh was a godless Communist and created rebellions in the streets with mobs, for and against the monarchy, that left 300 dead. It ended with Mossaddeq in jail for 3 years, then a house-arrest for life, in which he eventually died. The Shah, after returning from his safe-house in Rome, returned to the Throne, and oil again flowed freely to the market.

Thus the operation was deemed highly successful and became a model for numerous other Coups in countries daring to use the word “nationalize”, in order to control their own resources, such as several South-American nations, that would be terrorized by death-squads and dictators.

 

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However, the term “Blowback” in the CIA is a description of unforeseen consequences by covert operations, and after this covert operation, and the blowback in Persia would create become the future Islamic Republic of Iran and the Arch-Enemy of the USA, “The Big Satan”, together with Israel, the latter whom the US gave a significant, yearly amount of aid to, both monetary and military.

Iran became an Islamic Republic ruled by supreme commander Ayatollah Khomeini, after he returned from his exile in Paris to a jubilant crowd, that nearly, literally, strangled him with enthusiasm, and he had to get in a car to get some distance from the love from the people.

Addressing the west, the Ayatollah said famously, almost prophetic: ”

Yes, we are reactionaries and you enlightened intellectuals. You who want freedom for everything. The freedom to corrupt our country, corrupt our youth and freedom that will pave the wave for the oppressor. Freedom that will drag out country to the bottom” Words that would resonate with several other countries that would come under US domination.

Among the turbulence during the revolution a young engineer named Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, took part in the revolution against the hated SAVAK and the corrupted regime of the Shah.

A young Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

He would become another example of blowback, where there’s been a deep worry about Iran obtaining a nuclear capability, at the same time as he publicly, at the UN, have threatened to erase Israel from the map, something one member of the UN have ever said to another member of the UN.

When it comes to the Shah, the King of Kings, had to flee the country, but this time in perpetual exile and with cancer, trying to find a country – somewhere he could get treatment, but no country was eager to welcome him in the situation he now found himself in, but in the end was granted access to the United States hospital and died, something that enraged the Iranian people even further.

This move were something that caused protesters take hostages from the American Embassy. After a failed, militarily rescue operation with helicopters and special forces (called Operation Eagle Claw) crashed in the Iranian desert on their way to Tehran, were a public relation triumph and a national humiliation for the US that cost eight lives instead of rescuing a single one, and probably cost the American President Carter to lose his second term election, and all his work to get a solution to the hostage-crisis, using all this power to the last days in office, were in vain.

The failed Operation Eagle Claw, in the desert of Iran.

Exactly at the day Reagan became the new President of the United States, all the hostages came home. This is later thought to not be a coincidence, because of payments to the hostage takers, made them wait until Reagan became President, to release the hostages and send them to the airport. Something not at all unlikely with the later Iran-Contra Scandal, selling weapons to Iran.

In the Iran-Iraq war, the forces of Saddam Hussein – together with his later WMD –  were sold weapons for billions of dollars. USSR supported Iran.

And again today, since the 90’s, USA is talking about dictatorship, the Iranian nuclear program as a treat to world-peace, and, like “Operation Iraqi Freedom” invaded Iraq and only guarded oil-facilities and was leading the let the country that left the region, might just do the same with because of the Iranian nuclear program, something that naturally is eagerly encouraged by Israel, since Iran remain the only member of the UN that have officially threatened another member (Israel) with total annihilation, so Iranian rocket-program, that’s been able to send satellites into space, something that have made worries similar to the USSR launch of the first satellite Sputnik, and the following Space Race that can be said to really being able to launch ICBM missiles with nuclear warheads, so nuclear facilities, like in Natanz are under careful watch. Israel itself are armed with nuclear weapons, but it’s unknown if deterrence to strike back will be enough, so Israeli airstrikes have been trained in detail and actually have been ordered once, but then cancelled.

President Barrack Hussein Obama (awarded with one of the most controversial Nobel Peace Prizes) of the USA have tried diplomatic options, called “historic” and together with the move to relax diplomatic relations with Cuba, certainly have made him earn the Peace Price to some degree, just as he also delivered on his promise to pull out the troops of Iraq.

The harsh truth though is that Iran is completely encircled by the US, both west in Iraq (where they have the worlds largest embassy – larger then Vatican City), east in Afghanistan. South with the US-allied countries like Qatar, Kuwait among other Gulf-States, with airbases. In the North, there’s airbases in the former Soviet Provinces like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. And with the obscene  military budget that make all other nations on earth pale in comparison.

Kermit Roosevelt Jr. The grandson of the famous president Teddy Roosevelt. The mastermind that caused the fall of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh.