Killing democracy in the Middle East for profit.

[Miranda4peace]

Mossadegh envisioned an Iran that was independent, free and democratic. He believed no country could be politically independent and free unless it first achieved economic independence. As he put it, "The moral aspect of oil nationalization is more important than its economic aspect." He sought to renegotiate and reach an equitable and fair restitution of rights of Iran but was faced with intransigence by the company. To put an end to 150 years of British political interference, economic exploitation and plundering of Iran's national resources, Mossadegh engineered the nationalization of the oil industry.

Mossadegh first presented the idea of nationalization to the Majles mandated "Oil Commission" on March 8, 1951. The following day the National Front, a coalition of several parties, held a huge rally in Baharestan square in front of the Majles in support of oil nationalization. On the eve of the Iranian New Year, on March 20, 1951 [29 Esfand, 1329] the National Front bill for oil nationalization received the final approval from the Senate, only a few days after unanimously being approved by the Majles deputies. A month later, Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh was nominated for the position of Prime Minister, which he won by votes of nearly 90% of the representatives present.

The dispute between Iran and the disbanded Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) continued with no resolution on the horizon, increasing tension between Iran and Britain. The British government imposed economic sanctions on Iran and threatened Iran with a military attack. In June 1951, the Iranian government discovered a British spy network that revealed subversive activities by a large number of Iranian politicians and journalists, including communists who were receiving bribes from the British government and the AIOC. Mossadegh at the U.N. In response, the Iranian government closed the British consulate. The British government reacted by calling their ambassador, Francis Shepherd, back to London. In October 1951, Premier Mohammad Mossadegh traveled to New York to personally defend Iran's right to nationalize its oil industry before the UN Security Council. The British government, looking for support, had taken their case to the United Nations for a hearing. Mossadegh gave a dramatic and successful presentation, demonstrating that Britain's oil profits in 1950 alone were more than what it paid to Iran during the previous half century.

Mossadegh with Ernest Gross Mossadegh then headed for Washington, DC where he met with President Harry S. Truman. His visit was covered widely in newspapers, magazines, television, and theatrical newsreels. On his return to Iran in November 1951, he stopped at Farouk airport in Cairo, Egypt and was greeted by thousands of admirers who chanted "LONG LIVE MOSSADEGH" and "LONG LIVE IRAN." During his four day visit, the Egyptian King, Premier, Cabinet and other dignitaries honored Mossadegh personally, and a gala dinner was given in his honor by the municipality of Cairo. By January 1952, Mossadegh was named Time magazine's Man of the Year, his second Time cover in a span of 7 months.

Mossadegh with Harry Truman In June 1952, Mossadegh traveled to the Hague, Netherlands and presented nearly 200 documents to the International Court regarding the highly exploitative nature of the AIOC and the extent of its political intervention into the Iranian political system. "There is no political or moral yardstick by which the court can measure its judgment in the case of nationalization of the oil industry in Iran", he argued, and "under no condition we will accept the jurisdiction of the court on the subject. We cannot put ourselves in the dangerous situation which might arise out of the court's decision." The verdict was to be announced later, and Mossadegh returned to Tehran having won the respect of the judges.

Back in Iran, economic and security conditions were deteriorating rapidly, worsened by increasing subsersive activities of foreign powers and their agents. In a July 1952 meeting with the young monarch Mohammad Reza Shah, who headed the military, Mossadegh requested control of the armed forces but was refused. In response, Mossadegh immediately submitted his resignation as Prime Minister.

The following day, the Shah, at the behest of the British and American governments, appointed Ghavam Saltaneh as Prime Minister. Ghavam Saltaneh took a hard line, further angering the people who had come out to the streets in support of Mossadegh. In the largest street protest on July 20, 1952 (30 Tir, 1331) security forces clashed violently with the demonstrators, resulting in hundreds of casualties. The Shah, witnessing the depth of the people's support for Mossadegh, became highly alarmed and changed course. He appointed Mossadegh to the dual role of Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, as permitted by the Constitution. On the same day the International Court at the Hague voted in favor of Iran, holding that it had no jurisdiction in the oil dispute case. This was soon followed by the U.N. Security Council rejection of the British complaint against Iran. Mossadegh was at the height of his power and popularity, hailed as a hero not only in Iran, but in the greater Middle East.

Time magazine's Man of the Year, 1951 As leader of Iran, Mossadegh sponsored laws for a “clean government” and independent court systems, defended freedom of religion and political affiliations, and promoted free elections. He implemented many social reforms and fought for the rights of women, workers, and peasants. A fund was created to pay for rural development projects and give assistance to farmers. According to his policy of 'Negative equilibrium', an idea that helped the formation of the non-allied nations, Mossadegh also refused to grant an oil concession to the Soviet Union. Most importantly, Mossadegh helped to foster a national self-sufficiency that remains unduplicated in Iran since his tenure: balancing the budget, increasing non-oil productions and creating a trade balance. His policies were frequently opposed by the Shah, army generals, leading clerics, land owners, the Tudeh (Communist) party, and the governments of Britain and America. Nevertheless, Mossadegh could always rely upon the support of the people.

Meanwhile, the British continued to undermine Mossadegh's authority by inciting division in the country, tightening the worldwide embargo on the purchase of Iranian oil, freezing Iranian assets and threatening Iran with invasion by amassing a Naval force in the Persian Gulf. When all attempts failed, Britain concluded that "Mossadegh must go" by any means necessary. Working jointly with the American CIA, they plotted a coup to overthrow his democratically elected government. http://www.mohammadmossadegh.com/biography/