Why was mohammad mossadegh important
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Who Was Mohammad Mossadegh?
Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh was Iran’s prime minister elected as such by the Iranian Parliament at a time when parliamentary elections were in fact considered legitimate in Iran. For millions of Iranians he symbolizes Iranian sovereignty and patriotism. During his short tenure in office (April 1951-August 1953) he managed to implement the legislation (which he had spearheaded in Parliament) that nationalized the oil industry, ending almost 50 years of British monopoly over Iran’s petroleum excavation, extraction, research, marketing and sales.
In a now infamous covert military operation known as “Operation Ajax” (referred to as the Coup in Iranian,) British and American intelligence services, with the help of Iranian elements, used rogue elements in the military and removed him from office on Aug. 19, 1953 (28 Mordad 1332). After the Coup he was court-martialed and sentenced to three years in prison. In an illegal move even by the regime’s own standards, Shah’s government exiled him to house arrest in a remote village his family o
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The Legacy of Mohammad Mosaddegh
Mohammad Mosaddegh, Iran's prime minister in the early 1950s, was one of the most consequential national leaders of the twentieth century. Based on his recent book, Nicolas Gorjestani will examine Mosaddegh's life story, resistance strategy, governance, reform record, and overthrow.
Mosaddegh locked horns with Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, and Dwight Eisenhower in 1951-1953 over the nationalization of Iran's oil industry. In the event, Mosaddegh was overthrown in the first post-WWII regime change organized and supported by the British MI6 and the American CIA.
The book combines insightful memoir, strategic analysis, economic assessment, and historical review based on primary sources in Iran, the UK, the US and the World Bank.
Nicolas Gorjestani is a former senior official of the World Bank with economic development experience spanning more than four decades in countries undergoing transformational change. Born in Iran of Georgian heritage, Nicolas lives in Washington, DC.
If you need a disability-related accommodation for this event, ple
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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. He sought to renegotiate and reach an equitable and fair restitution of rights of Iran with AIOC but was faced with intransigence by the company.
To put an end to 150 years of British political interference, economic exploitation and plundering of Irans national resources, Mossadegh engineered the nationalization of the oil industry. Irans main priority in this action was not revenue. As Mossadegh put it, The moral aspect of oil nationalization is more important than its economic aspect.
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, March 20, 1951 [29 Esfand, 1329], the National Front bill for oil nationalization received
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