Skip to main content
‘Our policy was to get rid of Mossadegh as soon as possible’
70 years on from the 1953 coup d’etat that subverted democracy in Iran, STEVE BISHOP suggests Britain should apologise for its role in overthrowing the democratically elected prime minister
iran coup

TODAY, August 19, marks the 70th anniversary of the 1953 coup d’etat in Iran which brought down the government of democratically elected Dr Mohammed Mossadegh.

The deposing of Mossadegh by a combination of the US CIA and British security forces was not an overnight event.  

As far back as 1951 there were “concerns,” as British foreign secretary at the time, Anthony Eden, late wrote in his memoirs: “When I assumed the post of the Foreign Ministry on October 27, 1951, the worrying prospect I was thinking about was this: we had left Iran.

Morning Star call for advertising
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
EMPTY POSTURE: Children accost Donald Trump in effigy during
Features / 31 March 2025
31 March 2025
As tensions rise in the Middle East, the role of Iran in the region’s political balance becomes ever more significant. STEVE BISHOP assesses the current situation
CLASS ISSUES: People chant while marching during a ‘march
Features / 27 March 2025
27 March 2025
The annual Fenner Brockway Lecture, hosted by Liberation, was delivered this year by Peter Mertens, Chair of the Workers’ Party of Belgium. STEVE BISHOP reflects on some of the highlights of Mertens’ address
Israeli Defence Forces soldiers work on their tank near the
Features / 17 October 2024
17 October 2024
STEVE BISHOP argues that the US failure to restrain Israel is pushing the region towards wider war, with an attack on Iran likely to have devastating consequences
SUPPORT: Kurdish women in in Beirut, Lebanon, protest over t
Features / 13 September 2024
13 September 2024
Iran’s women’s rights movement now joins widespread unrest, as pensioners, steelworkers and students unite against corruption, repression and economic mismanagement by the theocratic regime, writes STEVE BISHOP