1953 Iranian coup d'état

The 1953 overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh restored Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s power, with covert British and U.S. involvement.

Operation Ajax: A covert CIA operation that helped overthrow Mosaddegh in August 1953. This was the U.S. operation that organized propaganda, political contacts, and support for the coup.
Mohammad Mosaddegh: Iranian prime minister from 1951 to 1953 and a leading advocate of oil nationalization. His government’s policies and political conflicts made him the coup’s target.
Kermit Roosevelt Jr.: A CIA officer who directed the agency’s covert operation in Iran in 1953. He coordinated the U.S. effort on the ground during the coup.
Pahlavi dynasty: Iran’s ruling dynasty from 1925 until the 1979 revolution. The coup strengthened the dynasty’s rule for more than two decades.
CIA documents on the 1953 Iranian coup: Declassified U.S. records documenting CIA planning and participation in the 1953 coup. Their gradual release has changed what can be established about U.S. decision-making.
Operation Boot: The British intelligence operation designed to remove Mosaddegh from power. British planning and intelligence cooperation formed the operation’s other foreign component.
Anglo-Iranian Oil Company: A British-controlled oil company that operated Iran’s major petroleum industry before nationalization. Its privileged position and lost concessions drove the conflict with Mosaddegh’s government.
Christopher Woodhouse: A British intelligence officer involved in planning the effort to remove Mosaddegh. He helped develop the British proposal that became part of the joint operation.
SAVAK: Iran’s security and intelligence service established in 1957 under the Shah. The post-coup monarchy built a powerful security apparatus to suppress opposition.
Iranian historiography: The study and interpretation of Iran’s past by historians and other scholars. Iranian accounts emphasize domestic political divisions as well as foreign intervention.

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