The Secret C.I.A. Operation That Haunts U.S.-Iran Relations

A 1953 C.I.A.-backed coup that ousted Iran’s Cold War leader has colored U.S.-Iran relations for decades.

The tense negotiations earlier this month that led to the release of five Americans imprisoned in Iran was the latest headline-grabbing chapter in a fraught diplomatic relationship that stretches back to the 1950s.

In 1953, the C.I.A. helped to orchestrate a coup that ousted Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, who was viewed as a threat to Western oil interests. Known as Operation Ajax in the U.S. — British intelligence called it Operation Boot — the plot restored Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, a U.S. ally during the Cold War, to power.

C.I.A. backing helped the shah to maintain his grip, and the Carter administration encouraged him to implement reforms. But growing opposition to corruption and the repression of political dissent fueled a 1979 revolution, the overthrow of the shah by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and the decline of American influence.

Khomeini ran Iran as a theocracy from 1979 until his death in 1989, imposing a conservative dress code that restricted women’s rights. The crackdown sparked a protest movement last year after a 22-year-old woman accused of violating the dress code died in the custody of Iran’s morality police. That movement has led to demands for an end to the Islamic republic’s rule.

In 2013, the C.I.A. finally acknowledged its role in the effort to overthrow Mossadegh. Today, the United States’ meddling 70 years ago continues to shape international relations and diplomacy.

“It’s a little bit like two rail lines, they run parallel but they never come together,” said Steven Kinzer, a former New York Times correspondent who covered the region. “Until somehow that logjam can be broken, these two countries are going to remain lamentably separated.”

Subscribe to our newsletter for our latest work and surprises from history.

Educators, click below for a lesson plan for this video. Sign up for our educator newsletter to receive classroom resources, and browse more lesson plans and videos here.

For teachers
  • Read transcript
  • Producer / Narrator: Matthew Spolar
  • Editor: Brian Kamerzel

For Educators

Introduction

Students will learn about Operation Ajax, a C.I.A.-orchestrated plot to overthrow Iran’s prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, who was viewed as a threat to Western oil interests. The coup eventually fueled a 1979 revolution and the decline of American influence.

Lesson Plan 1: Regime Change in Iran – Oil and Operation Ajax
Overview

In 1953, after the Iranian government nationalized the Iranian oil industry under the control of Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh, the C.I.A. orchestrated a coup that resulted in a regime change in Iran. Operation Ajax restored Shah Reza Pahlavi, a U.S. ally during the Cold War, to power and paved the way for the Iran revolution in 1979, leading to a strained relationship between the two countries.

Objectives

Students will:

  • Describe the differences between regimes and governments. 
  • Explain sources of power and authority in political systems, specifically in Iran. 
  • Explain the reasons and processes behind regime change.
Essential questions
  • How and why does regime change occur? 
  • Why do countries get involved in the domestic politics of other countries?
  • What is the role of natural resources in Iran’s political history?
Standards

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies

  • D2.Civ.8.9-12. Evaluate social and political systems in different contexts, times, and places, that promote civic virtues and enact democratic principles.
  • D2.His.1.9-12. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.
  • D2.His.2.9-12. Analyze change and continuity in historical eras.
  • D2.His.14.9-12. Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past.

Common Core Literacy Standards

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).

AP Comparative Government and Politics CED Alignment 

  • Topic 1.2, Enduring Understanding PAU-1.A
  • Topic 1.6, Enduring Understanding PAU-1.D
  • Topic 1.6, Enduring Understanding PAU-1.D.3
Lesson Plan 2: Operation Ajax and the C.I.A. in the Cold War
Overview

C.I.A. activity has cast a long shadow over relations between the United States and Iran. In 1953, the agency helped to orchestrate a coup that ousted Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, who was viewed as a threat to Western oil interests. The plot, known as Operation Ajax, restored Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, a U.S. ally during the Cold War, to power.

Objectives

Students will:

  • Describe the goals and actions of the C.I.A. in Iran in 1953.
  • Analyze the effects of foreign policy decisions during the Cold War.
  • Analyze the change and continuity over time in U.S-Iran relations.
Essential questions
  • What happened in Iran in 1953 and how have these events affected U.S.-Iran relations?
  • What role did the C.I.A. play in the Iranian coup and how did the context of the Cold War influence their actions?
  • What foreign policy tools can or does the United States use when trying to influence other countries?
Standards

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies

  • ​​D2.Civ.3.9-12. Analyze the impact of constitutions, laws, treaties, and international agreements on the maintenance of national and international order.
  • D2.Civ.6.9-12. Critique relationships among governments, civil societies, and economic markets.
  • D2.Civ.8.9-12. Evaluate social and political systems in different contexts, times, and places, that promote civic virtues and enact democratic principles.
  • D2.Civ.13.9-12. Evaluate public policies in terms of intended and unintended outcomes, and related consequences. 
  • D2.Geo.5.9-12. Evaluate how political and economic decisions throughout time have influenced cultural and environmental characteristics of various places and regions. 
  • D2.Geo.11.9-12. Evaluate how economic globalization and the expanding use of scarce resources contribute to conflict and cooperation within and among countries.
  • D2.His.1.9-12. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.
  • D2.His.2.9-12. Analyze change and continuity in historical eras.
  • D2.His.5.9-12. Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people’s perspectives.
  • D2.His.14.9-12. Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past.
  • D2.His.15.9-12. Distinguish between long-term causes and triggering events in developing a historical argument.

Common Core Literacy Standards

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).