Thursday, August 19, 2010

"Coincidence of Interests" and the 1953 Coup in Iran

Fifty seven years ago at this day, the legally elected government of Iran was overthrown by a coup and the Shah who had fled the country, returned triumphantly. Dr Mossadeq- the deposed Prime Minister were put on a show trial and jailed for three years. For the rest of his life, he was effectively under house arrest in a village near Tehran, Ahmadabad and died in 1966. It is true that the idea of a coup was a brain child of the UK- who had lost to Mossadeq in the International Tribunal in the Hague- but the USA, especially the notorious CIA played a very important role in the operation. While it is true the non-Iranians played a very important role in the coup against the PM, I argue that my compatriates, namely some of the elites who did not like Mossadeq's approach to politics were and still are the main culprits. You may ask why I say this? These are my reasons:
- Any one familiar with Iran's modern history knows that politicians in Iran, almost all of them, see a position in the government as a cash cow, i.e. as a means of enriching themselves. There is one exception, though, Dr Mossadeq and his close friends. In the past 57 years, the monarchists- during 1953-1979 and the Islamic Republic's officials, from 1979 up to present, left no stone unturned but could not find a single evidence showing financial corruption by Mossadeq or his close friends in his government. Just compare Mossadeq with those who came after him to see the difference.
- His respect for law was exemplary whether during his tenure as the PM or at any other time. It is well known that when under Reza Shah a law was passed obliging the Iranian males to wear a special hat, called " Pahlavi 's Hat", Mossadeq " imprisoned" himself for 8 or 9 months in his house. When asked why, he replied, this stupid imposition has become a "law", and I do not wish to break it, and at the same time, I have no desire to give in to this super stupid idea!
- His belief in freedom of expression was total. One of the first decree, issued to the chief of the police was " that in Iranian press, whatever people write about me, no matter what or by who, no one should interfere with their freedom". During his term, he maintained this simple rule to the full. It is said that during that two years and 8 months that Mossadeq remained in power, there were at least 70 opposition newspapers, none closed or banned. Again make a comparison with the Shah's time, or with the more recent time in Iran.
-Mossadeq was a real and true patriot who loved Iran and was aware of its desparate needs and did his best to serve them.
Alas! not only the US and UK government did not like them, there were many Iranians who could not live with them either. It is this " coincidence of interests" between these reactionary forces of different descriptions in Iran and their imperialist masters that produced this disgraceful coup. Among my compatriots, those who still support that coup, should face up to the fact that apart from a despotic govenrment that ruled over Iran between 1953-1979, it also paved the way for the emerfence of a new despotism, that calls itself " the Islamic Republic of Iran".

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