September 8, 1978, hundreds of protesters were killed or wounded by the Shah’s U.S.-backed military in Jaleh Square in Tehran. They were among the thousands killed by the Shah in cities around Iran that day.
Editors’ note: The people of Iran are calling for freedom, for life, for an end to the oppression of women. Millions have not only taken to the streets, but raised their heads to dream of a whole different world. As they do, questions emerge: What is the road forward to those goals? What do the different groups represent—and where would their answers lead? And can the U.S. and its European allies play a positive role in the current situation?
A number of different forces—from liberal human rights organizations to right-wing monarchists—who oppose the Islamic Republic of Iran are increasingly calling on the U.S. and its allies to “do more” to pressure, isolate, weaken, even overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran, arguing that the U.S. and other Western “democratic” powers can play a positive role, and be a force for good in this situation.
To be blunt, but truthful—at a time when the truth is the most vital thing there is—involving the U.S. and other imperialist powers is a death-trap for the people.
The following selection of articles on America’s actual record in Iran (as well as Iraq and Libya) after World War 2, shows why this is true — and why it is crucially important the same kinds of tragedies, with different masks on the actors, not happen again.
Iranian troops in the streets, 1953.
People around the world are following the powerful uprising in Iran sparked by the outrageous murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini at the hands of the Islamic Republic’s “morality police.” Many may wonder how the Iranian people came to be ruled by such violent oppressors and what, if any, role has the U.S. played in creating the nightmare they face.
In Tehran, Iran on August 19, 1953, mobs joined by the military took over streets chanting “Long live the Shah! Death to Mossadegh!” They ransacked pro-Mossadegh newspapers and attacked his supporters.
THE CRIME: On August 19, 1953, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) along with British intelligence launched a military coup overthrowing Iran’s popular, elected prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh. In 1951, during an upsurge of protest against British colonialism, Mossadegh had nationalized Britain’s Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Great Britain had plundered Iran’s oil wealth for decades. Britain moved to destabilize Mossadegh’s government, including by launching an international boycott of Iranian oil. The U.S. soon joined the coup plotting, conspiring with Iran’s Mohammad Reza Shah [King] Pahlavi and the military, and orchestrating an anti-Mossadegh propaganda campaign.
U.S. President Jimmy Carter with the Shah of Iran, 1977
For over 100 years, the domination of Iran has been deeply woven into the fabric of global imperialism, enforced by the U.S. and other powers through covert intrigues, economic bullying, military assaults, and invasions. This history provides the backdrop for U.S. hostility toward Iran today — including the real threat of war, even nuclear war.
This installment, Part 4 of revcom’s “Background to Confrontation” series from 2008 examines the actual history of what 25 years of direct U.S. involvement in — really domination of — Iran under the Shah’s reign meant for Iran and its people, and how it paved the way for the 1979 revolution and the founding of the Islamic Republic.
THE CRIME: At 9:53 on the morning of July 3, 1988, Captain Mohsen Rezaian was piloting Iran Air Flight 655, a civilian airliner on a routine flight from Bandar Abbas, 140 miles across the Persian Gulf to Dubai, normally a 28-minute flight. 290 people were aboard the plane.
Suddenly, without warning, two surface-to-air missiles launched from the U.S. warship Vincennes, 18 miles away, ripped apart his plane which then crashed into the Gulf. All aboard were killed, though only about 200 bodies could be recovered.
THE CRIME: At 10:15 pm on March 19, 2003, George W. Bush announced to the world: "At this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger."
As Bush spoke, U.S. bombs and missiles were raining on Iraq. Some 160,000 troops—overwhelmingly American—were poised to storm the country by land. Twenty-one days later, after a blitzkrieg-like invasion and some 27,000 bombs, the U.S. had seized control of Iraq's major cities. Baghdad, Iraq's capital, had fallen on April 9. Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime had been deposed and the U.S. took control of the country. On May 1, standing on the deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln in front of a giant "Mission Accomplished" banner, Bush declared "major combat operations" were over.
THE CRIME: In February 2011, in the context of the Arab Spring uprisings in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt, sections of Libyan society rose up against Muammar Qaddafi’s oppressive, 42-year-long rule. The Qaddafi regime responded by violently suppressing the protests. The U.S., France, and Britain responded by spearheading a resolution giving the United Nations authority to militarily intervene in Libya – as a “humanitarian effort.” For the next seven months, 19 NATO countries carried out massive military operations throughout Libya. They deployed aircraft carriers with warplanes, amphibious warships, torpedo jets, surveillance planes, submarines, and U.S. missile-armed Predator drones. The result: Qaddafi was overthrown and murdered, and Libya was turned into a battleground for reactionaries and Islamic fundamentalists, and a nightmare for its people which continues to this day.
Two Key Analyses from Bob Avakian on U.S. Imperialism in the Middle East and Beyond:
“Why Is Religious Fundamentalism Growing in Today’s World—And What Is the Real Alternative?”
An excerpt from Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World by Bob Avakian