Fact Check: The U.S. is not primarily responsible for the 1953 coup in Iran.

Fact Check: "The U.S. is not primarily responsible for the 1953 coup in Iran."

What We Know

The 1953 coup in Iran, which resulted in the overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, is widely documented as a covert operation orchestrated by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the United Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). The coup, known as Operation Ajax, was motivated primarily by the desire to protect Western oil interests after Mosaddegh nationalized the Iranian oil industry, which had previously been controlled by the British-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) (Wikipedia, NPR).

Recent declassified documents, including a British memorandum, indicate that the U.S. provided significant financial support to influential figures in Iran, including clerics, to facilitate the coup (National Security Archive). These documents suggest that without U.S. involvement, the coup may not have succeeded, as they detail the American Embassy's financial contributions and strategic support to the Shah and other local actors (History).

Analysis

The claim that the U.S. is not primarily responsible for the 1953 coup in Iran contradicts a substantial body of evidence from credible sources. The CIA's involvement has been acknowledged in various historical accounts and by the agency itself in recent years (PBS). The documents released by the National Security Archive provide new insights into the extent of U.S. financial and operational support for the coup, including payments to clerics who played a role in organizing protests against Mosaddegh (National Security Archive).

While some recent interpretations have attempted to downplay the CIA's role, suggesting that Iranian actors acted independently, the evidence presented in declassified documents supports the conclusion that U.S. involvement was crucial to the coup's success. The British memorandum explicitly states that without American assistance, the coup could not have succeeded (National Security Archive). Furthermore, the historical context surrounding the coup, including the geopolitical interests of the U.S. and the U.K., reinforces the argument for U.S. responsibility.

Conclusion

The claim that "the U.S. is not primarily responsible for the 1953 coup in Iran" is False. The overwhelming evidence from declassified documents, historical accounts, and the acknowledgment of the CIA's role in orchestrating the coup clearly establishes that the United States played a pivotal role in the events leading to the overthrow of Mohammad Mosaddegh. The assertion that the U.S. is not primarily responsible lacks support from credible sources and contradicts the established historical narrative.

Sources

1. New Findings on Clerical Involvement in the 1953 Coup in Iran
2. 1953 Iranian coup d'état
3. How The CIA Overthrew Iran's Democracy In 4 Days
4. CIA-assisted coup overthrows government of Iran
5. How the US helped oust Iran’s government in 1953 and ...
6. In first, CIA acknowledges 1953 coup it backed to ...
7. 1953 coup in Iran | Coup D'etat, Description & Facts
8. The US plotted and toppled Iran’s regime in 1953. Are we ...