Remembering Mossadegh

On the 48th death anniversary of the former Iranian Prime Minister, often hailed the Patriot of Persia, one remembers Mohammed Mossadegh for the legacy he left behind. Born a nobleman in 1882 in Tehran, Mossadegh served as Iran’s Prime Minister in the early 1950s and was responsible for the attempted nationalisation of the country’s oil, its most precious asset.

Given his background as a well-educated man with public office experience, Mossadegh had developed the ability to understand and connect with the adversities of common citizens at an early age. At the age of 21 he was elected into parliament by the people of Esfahan but was disqualified owing to his young age. He however went on to actively participate in the establishment of a constitutional monarchy to replace Iran’s absolute monarchy. By then he had established a reputation for himself as an honest leader who was concerned and engaged with the welfare of his people.

In 1951, Mossadegh was democratically elected head of the National Front Party and the Prime Minister of Iran. In the interest of a free and independent nation, his political mandate introduced wide-ranging social reforms and the move to nationalise assets of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company on the basis that no country was independent or self-sufficient until it first achieved economic independence. This idea to nationalise Iran’s oil asset was put in motion on a participatory basis with a national bill passed through both a commission and senate. With the British Government having long acquired a majority stake in the Anglo-Persian Oil Company prior to Mossadegh’s nationalisation movement, this step was seen as a major threat to British imperialism, creating fear among American foreign policy makers who saw such liberty as potential breeding ground for communism, given the cold war era. The tragedy which unfolded – that of Mossadegh’s overthrow – was the workings of a British-American coup where MI-6 and CIA intelligence services staged a series of propagated events that succeeded at overthrowing a progressive democratic government. This crusade also pulled in pro-Shah forces where mass protests were held with the support of the police and a pro-Shah army. The dismantling of the government in 1953 also saw Mossadegh tried as a traitor under a military tribunal court. With much accord of British and American powers and a shrewd foreign policy to protect oil interests in the region, Mossadegh was now ousted and the dictatorial regime of Mohammed Raza Pehelavi, the Shah of Iran was steered into power.

In August 2013, declassified documents released under the US Freedom of Information Act have now revealed details of this Operation TPAJAX which sought regime change using anti-Mossadegh propaganda, bribed politicians and high-ranking officials, and fuelled the dismantling of the government. In the present day, US Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have also publicly acknowledged the role of the US in the Iranian coup. These newly released accounts have also revealed that this toppling of Mossadegh’s democratic government was personally approved by the US President at the time, Dwight Eisenhower.

Mossadegh could have walked away from the foreseeable suffering and hardship and returned to a privileged life, he instead chose to face the long struggle which lay ahead of him. In the words of the patriot of Persia himself: A person’s worth in society is dependent on how much one endures for the sake of his people.

Even though Mossadegh was sentenced to death for treason under a military tribunal while held in jail for three years, fate would have it that he spend the remainder of his life under house arrest in his ancestral village of Ahmed Abad, where he died in 1967 at the age of 85. Years of struggle had not only affected Mossadegh personally, but also took a toll on his distraught family, including his daughter Khadijah who as a result of witnessing the treatment of her father in her early teenage, spent the remainder of her life under psychiatric care.

A decade on from the fall of Mossadegh, a strong-minded socialist leader was in the making here at home. One cannot help but think that Z.A Bhutto at some stage in the development of his socio-political acumen must have been inspired by Mossadegh’s political ideology and personal resolve. Bhutto’s economic reforms and nationization policies in the early 1970s in education, agriculture and banking bear political resemblance. The inflicted downfall of Mossadegh also resonates with that of Z.A Bhutto, except that the latter was more ill-fated for having been sent to the gallows. Like the revelations of Mossadegh’s overthrow which have now come forth, maybe one day we shall witness revelations of some kind that can shed light on the treatment and story of Z.A Bhutto, also a peoples’ leader.

The story of Mossadegh and the 1953 coup could not be a better example to demonstrate the notion of oil-driven global change. It is also perhaps an event in modern-day political history that showcases the aggression of foreign policies interested in economic gain even if it means treading over democracic principles.

The Mossadegh Project (available online) offers a wide range of literature and resources on the man and his legacy which are often overlooked in the socio-political context of the subcontinent. Wise nations learn from their history and past leaders. And if Mossadegh’s legacy has taught Iran and its people anything, then it is to value sovereignty, self-respect and national interest above everything else, especially when dealing with powerful nations. Mossadegh’s story may be one that demonstrates the meddling of superpowers in shaping other countries, but his legacy is a much greater one that gives pride to the people and nation he served.

The writer is a doctoral researcher associated with a Scottish University