Behind the 1953 Coup in Iran

Ali Rahnema’s newest work is a meticulous historical reconstruction of the events surrounding the Iranian coup d’etat in 1953 that led to the overthrow of Mohammed Mosaddeq and his government. Mosaddeq’s removal from power has probably attracted more attention than any other event occurring during his tenure because of the role of foreign involvement; the political, economic and social impact on Iran and the long-term impact the ousting had on Iran-U.S. relations. Drawing on a wealth of American, British and Iranian sources, Rahnema closely examines the four-day period between the first failed coup and the second successful attempt, investigating in fine detail how the two coups were conceptualised, rationalised and then executed by players on both the Anglo-American and Iranian sides. Through painstaking research into little-studied sources, Rahnema casts new light on how a small group of highly influential pro-Britain politicians and power brokers with important connections revisited the realities on the ground with the CIA operatives dispatched to Iran and how they recalibrated a new, and ultimately successful, operational plan.