By Fred Fink, Summer Times Staff Writer
Concerning most of us, the current tensions between the United States and Iran are just a recent conflict that could trigger a clash of both military fronts. However, these tensions between both countries remained for decades. If there is a day where the enmity between Washington and Tehran born, then it was August 19, 1953. The American and British intelligence had hired Iranian officers, politicians, clerics, and criminals to overthrow the famous prime minister Mohammed Mossadegh. From thereon, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi should guarantee a pro-western course of his country.
Supported by an increasing National Socialism, Mossadegh led to a movement for a nationalization of the oil industry, before he got overthrown. Back then, Great Britain controlled the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, whose profit merely up to twenty-five percent went to Iran. In March 1951 the Iranian parliament agreed to the nationalization of the oil industry and elected Mossadegh as prime minister
London was enraged, threatened with an invasion, and imposed an embargo against Iran. Britain’s appeals for help found support in Washington in 1953, after the republican Dwight D. Eisenhower ousted the Democrat Harry S. Truman.
The humiliation of 1953 approached another quarter-century of revolutionary anger against the Shah’s regime. After the subversion in 1979, Islamic revolutionary leader Ruhollah Khomeiny took over the seat as prime minister, and the country became an “Islamic god state.” After the subversion, the conflict between Washington and Tehran lasted.
Most outstanding was the 444 days long hostage-taking from US ambassadors in Iran. Since then, the United States is represented by Switzerland and Iran by Pakistan to share their views. In 2015, the nuclear non-proliferation treaty between Iran and the western powers provided some rapprochement as the U.S. administration accepted some of Iran’s demands (in particular low-grade Uranium enrichment for public use). This May, President Trump withdrew from the treaty, claiming that Iran is working toward a high amount of uranium for nuclear weapons. Since then, both countries have clashed, sharpening the situation. It is the continuation of a conflict that remained for decades and might have reached its zenith.
Instead of weakening and frightening the government, Trump’s politics are doing exactly the opposite. Due to the sanctions on the oil exporter Iran, it is answering aggressively and threatening the United States.