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‘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
(L to R) Mosaddegh supporters in Tehran on August 16 1953; Mohammad Mosaddegh, 1951 [(L to R) William Arthur Cram/CC - Public domain]

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.

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