The Secret CIA Operation That Haunts U.S.-Iran Relations | Retro Report

What role did the U.S. play in the 1953 Iranian coup and why does it still impact U.S.-Iranian relations today? In 1953, the CIA 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.

CIA 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 in 2022 after a 22-year-old woman accused of violating the dress code died in the custody of Iran’s morality police. Students can explore this story with two activities and two FRQs.