“70 years ago, a national government in Iran was ousted by a coup backed by the US and UK,” Kanaani wrote in a post on his X account on Saturday, marking the anniversary of the 1953 Iranian coup, which was organized by American and British spy agencies against the then-government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq.
“Supporting dictators, meddling in domestic affairs, suppressing libertarian movements, and orchestrating coup d’états are recurring elements of American and British policies,” he added.
In August 1953, the British intelligence agency MI6 and its American counterpart CIA initiated the coup by the Iranian military, setting off a series of events, including riots on the streets of the capital Tehran, which led to the overthrow and arrest of Mosaddeq.
The coup, which was followed by the temporary rule of CIA- and MI6-approved General Fazlollah Zahedi, enabled the monarch, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s return from exile in Italy. It also consolidated the monarch’s rule for the following 26 years until the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, led by Imam Khomeini.
Mosaddeq, who was convicted of treason by a court martial after the coup, served three years in solitary confinement and eventually died under house arrest in exile in 1967.
Experts say the upheaval, known in Iran as the 28 Mordad Coup, was aimed at making sure the Iranian monarchy would safeguard the West’s oil interests in the country.
