A western educated Mohammad Mosaddegh served as the Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 until 1953, and nationalized the country’s oil industry, depriving UK of 51% stakes in Iranian oil. As a result of Mosaddegh’s actions, which had seriously hurt British post-war economy, his government was overthrown in the 1953 Iranian coup d’état orchestrated jointly by CIA and the UK’s MI-6.
Since Britain was unable to handle Iran single-handedly, it had sought United States’ help and managed to convince it that Mosaddegh’s Iran was increasingly leaning towards the Soviet Union (United States’ arch enemy at the time).
Massive protests, aided by CIA, took place across all major cities. Anti and pro-monarchy protesters, both sides paid by CIA and MI-6, violently clashed in the streets, leaving hundreds of dead.
Finally, the pro-monarchy forces intervened and Mosaddegh was deposed, and the pro-west Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, very conveniently, returned from Rome to rule Iran.
The new government under the Shah soon reached an agreement, and gave USA and Britain major shares of the restored oil holdings.
Today, we have a western educated PM Khan in Pakistan heading a government which is increasingly leaning toward Russian/Chinese Block, and is supposed to have seriously hurt western interests in South Asia and the wider region, according to some observers.
Just like Iran of the 1950’s, protesters can be bought, and a “Shah” who is eager to return from London -to rule his ‘beloved country’ Pakistan can be facilitated.
Is it déjà vu decades later?
