Ever wonder how/why we ended up where we are with Iran? Hint: It had nothing to do with Israel

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/mideast/041600iran-cia-index.html

The CIA In Iran

The Central Intelligence Agency's secret history of its covert operation to overthrow Iran's government in 1953 offers an inside look at how the agency stumbled into success, despite a series of mishaps that derailed its original plans.

Written in 1954 by one of the coup's chief planners, the history details how United States and British officials plotted the military coup that returned the shah of Iran to power and toppled Iran's elected prime minister, an ardent nationalist.

The document shows that:

Britain, fearful of Iran's plans to nationalize its oil industry, came up with the idea for the coup in 1952 and pressed the United States to mount a joint operation to remove the prime minister.

http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/mideast/041600iran-cia-chapter1.html

THE ROOTS

Britain Fights Oil Nationalism

The coup had its roots in a British showdown with Iran, restive under decades of near-colonial British domination.

The prize was Iran's oil fields. Britain occupied Iran in World War II to protect a supply route to its ally, the Soviet Union, and to prevent the oil from falling into the hands of the Nazis — ousting the shah's father, whom it regarded as unmanageable. It retained control over Iran's oil after the war through the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.

In 1951, Iran's Parliament voted to nationalize the oil industry, and legislators backing the law elected its leading advocate, Dr. Mossadegh, as prime minister.

Britain responded with threats and sanctions. snip

In March 1953, an unexpected development pushed the plot forward: the C.I.A.'s Tehran station reported that an Iranian general had approached the American Embassy about supporting an army-led coup.

The newly inaugurated Eisenhower administration was intrigued.

[izquierdista]

1. 26 years of "success"

And we've been paying the price for that "success" for the last 33.

Whenever a Republican comes up with a "good idea", you should counter with a swift kick to the gonads.

[NNN0LHI]

2. Reason I posted this is I was watching a panel with Chris Hayes discussing Iran for about an hour

They never mentioned Operation Ajax.

Just thought that was odd to leave something as pertinent as that out of any discussion about Iran. Almost can't be done. But they did it. I was amazed.

Don