Operation Ajax, the 1953 covert coup d'état, saw the United States and United Kingdom orchestrate the overthrow of Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister...
Operation Ajax was the codename for the 1953 covert operation by the United States and the United Kingdom to overthrow Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh.
It occurred primarily due to Western fears over Iran's nationalization of its oil industry, which threatened British economic interests, and concerns about potential Soviet influence during the Cold War.
Key players included the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was subsequently restored to power.
The coup led to decades of authoritarian rule under the Shah, fueled deep anti-Western sentiment in Iran, contributed significantly to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and fostered persistent geopolitical tensions.