Some Key Events in Modern Iranian History

1953—CIA Coup in Iran: In 1953 Prime Minister Mossadegh attempted to nationalize the British-owned oil monopoly. A CIA coup overthrew Mossadegh, restored the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi as a full monarch, and established U.S. domination over Iran. For 25 years, the Shah ruled Iran with a bloody iron fist—making Iran subservient to U.S. and Western imperialism and acting as an enforcer of U.S. interests in the Middle East.

1977-79—Fall of the Shah and Rise of the Islamic Republic: In 1977, the anger of the people at the U.S.-backed rule of the Shah erupted in a powerful mass movement. By January 1979, the Shah was forced into exile under U.S. protection. But the aspirations and struggle of the Iranian people were seized upon by Islamic fundamentalists, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, who came to the fore, grabbed power, and established the fundamentalist Islamic Republic that has ruled Iran since then.

1980-87—Iran-Iraq War: In 1980, Iraq’s Saddam Hussein—with U.S. encouragement—launched a war against Iran. The U.S. worked to prevent either side from winning and the war continued for years, bleeding each country and resulting in over a million casualties on both sides.

1982—Amol Uprising: By 1982, Khomeini had consolidated control. Maoist revolutionaries of the Union of Iranian Communists (Sarbedaran) organized an uprising that was defeated by the regime.

Today—U.S. and Iran Surge toward Confrontation: After September 11, 2001, Iran was made a prime target in the U.S. “war on terror.” In 2005, the U.S. ratcheted up its political, military, economic, and diplomatic assault and began serious preparations for a possible military attack that continue today.

(For more in-depth history and analysis, see the nine-part series “Background to Confrontation: The U.S. & Iran: A History of Imperialist Domination, Intrigue and Intervention,” by Larry Everest, available at revcom.us.)

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