Learning from the Past: Why US Intervention in Iran Cannot Force Positive Regime Change

“One day I attended a book party for an older Iranian woman who had written her memoirs. She spoke for an hour about her eventful life. Although she never touched on politics, she mentioned in passing that her family was related to the family of Mohammad Mossadegh, who serve as prime minister of Iran for twenty-sex months in the early 1950s and was overthrown in a coup d’état staged by the Central Intelligence Agency.

After she finished speaking, I could resist the temptation to ask a question. ‘You mentioned Mossadegh,’ I said. ‘What do you remember, or what can you tell us, about the coup against him?’ She immediately became agitated and animated.

‘Why did you Americans do that terrible thing?’ she cried out. ‘We always loved America. To us, America was the great country, the perfect country, the country that helped us while other countries were exploiting us. But after that moment, no one in Iran ever trusted the United States again. I can tell you for sure that if you had not done that thing, you would never have had the problem of hostages being taken in your embassy in Tehran. All your trouble started in 1953. Why, why did you do it?’” (Excerpt from “All the Shah’s Men” by Stephen Kinzer)

Much of the literature on Iran refers to the Revolution of 1979 as an effect of the Pahlavi Dynasty’s authoritarian rule. While this is part of the reasoning behind the revolution, it is not the whole story. Rather, anti-Monarchist sentiments found considerable support in Iran in 1953, when a CIA/MI6-backed coup d’état deposed nationalist Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, and strengthened Mohammad Reza Shah’s rule. Thus, not only did the anti-monarchists gain traction, but a new movement arose around a common disdain for the United States’ pivotal role in violating Iranian sovereignty. The Revolution of 1979 that exiled Mohammad Reza Shah was born of both anti-American and anti-Monarchical beliefs.

In 1953, the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency, working alongside the United Kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), orchestrated a coup d’état to depose the popular Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, who had made great strides not only towards democratization but nationalization of Iranian oil. The latter disrupted the system of exploitation by the west that had been ongoing for decades, prompting the United States and the United Kingdom to coordinate a secret operation that wouldn’t be uncovered to the public until 2013.

Prior to 1953, the United States was held in high regard by the Iranian population, Lacking the Western imperial and exploitative motives of other great powers at the time - the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union - the United States was seen as exceptional; The United States was “the great country”.

After the coup, Iranians began to distrust not only the United States, but modernization measures that were analogous to westernization. The Shah was seen as an American puppet; Iranians wanted to be a sovereign entity. This meant an end to the Shah’s rule and the hold that the West had on Iranian national and international policies. This culminated in the Revolution of 1979, otherwise known as the Islamic Revolution.

The revolution was led by Ayatollah Khomeini, who, after the Shah was exiled, consolidated his power by instating himself as “Supreme Ruler”, and named Iran an Islamic State.

The repressive rule of Ayatollah Khomeini, and his successor Ayatollah Khamenei, mirrors that of the Pahlavi shah’s before them, however the former has been more damaging both to the Iranian people and Iran’s global image. The Mullahs of Iran rule the country through tyranny. Criticism of the Islamic Republic is suppressed, oppression of women runs rampant, and the Regime continues to adhere to their detrimental international policies, regardless of the countless Iranian lives affected by them.

Now, forty-two years after the Mullahs took power, the Iran hawks are gaining more traction than ever before. The idea of effecting regime change in the country through militaristic force has become more and more popular, particularly in the United States where many Iranians who fled in 1979 reside. The Iran hawks have gained popularity both within the national security community, as well as with many Iranians who believe the only way towards regime change is through intervention.

However, to support such regime change in Iran would be foolish of the United States or any foreign government. Iranians coalesced together in 1979 as a result of foreign intervention that occurred in 1953. Any regime change today, particularly one that would support the MEK-affiliated National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) or a Pahlavi, would be greatly misguided, only resulting in the inflammation of anti-American and anti-western sentiment. Iranian regime change must occur only through the will of the people, and the United States must respect Iranian sovereignty to allow for this to happen.