History of Imperialistic/Western Influence in Iran

I am tired of the Right-Wing crowd (Bush his Cronies and Supports) shouting to the roof tops about how the "Axis of Evil" and "Those Who are not with Us are Against Us" need to be Freed, Bombed, Threatened or Destroyed if they don't role over and play nice. All this is done in an effort to brain wash the American public into blind Jingoism and Fascism. They (Right-Wingers, Power Elitists) raise their fist and rattle their sabers and totally ignore history, because if the truth were widely known and understood by the American populous, Bush and the like would not have an ethical leg to stand on.

I for one believe that the American people have a sense of fair play instilled in them and they hate cheaters, liars, and bullies. This little article of mine will attempt to lay out the some of the history of Iran and the influence the outside Imperial nations as well as the "West" have tried to wield in Iran to further their own agendas.

Not everyone is blind to these facts and maybe it will open the eyes of those who truly don't know. After you read this tell me if you think we (The West) are still morally correct in our efforts in Iran and the Middle East. Don't think for a minute that the United States and it's goals of forcing it's Democratic-Capitalistic-Imperialistic control are not focused on Iran and the hole of the Middle East. The strategic importance of this region is of historical/future import to the U.S. in order to maintain our Superpower status.

First a brief synapse of modern day Iran provided by Wikipedia:

"Iran, Officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, formerly known internationally as Persia, is a Southwest Asian country located in the geographical territories of the Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucasus. The 18th largest country in the world, Iran is approximately the size of the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Germany combined and has a population of over 70 million people. Iran borders Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to the north, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east, and Turkey and Iraq to the west. In addition, it borders the Persian Gulf, an important oil-producing area, and the Caspian sea. Shi'a Islam is the official state religion and Persian the official language. The political system of Iran comprises several intricately connected governing bodies and is based on the 1979 Constitution."

"The highest state authority is the Supreme Leader, currently served by Ali Khamenei. Iran has one of the oldest histories in the world, extending nearly 6,000 years, and throughout history, Iran has been of geostrategic importance because of its central location in Eurasia. Iran is a founding member of the UN, NAM, OIC, OPEC, and ECO. Iran as a regional power occupies an important position in the world economy due to its substantial reserves of petroleum and natural gas, and has considerable regional influence in Southwest Asia. Iran is also one of the few states that comprise the Cradle of Humanity. The name Iran is a cognate of Aryan and literally means "Land of the Aryans." (wikipedia)

Now some pre 1900's History of Iran and their battle against Imperialism from Russia and Britain:

Even as early as the 1810's and 20's, Russia an "Imperialistic Country" at the time, tried to push it's way into Iran. The leader of Iran, Fath Ali Shah, fought against Russia but was defeated in both wars against Russian Imperialism, resulting in the treaties of
Golestan in 1813, and the Treaty of Turkmanchai in 1828. These treaties gave the Imperialist country of Russia the areas of Iran known as Georgia, the north Caucasus, and then the entire section of Iran north of the Aras River, today known as Azerbaijan and Armenia . This is just one of the earlier examples of Imperial influence but certainly not the last. (mideastweb.org)

Another example extends to the next leader of Iran, Naser o-Din Shah, and includes not only Russian Imperialistic influence but British Imperialism. Naser o-Din Shah, was trying to modernize Iran by introducing science, technology, and education methods from the west and was considered by some as one of the ablest leaders of the Qajar tribe. (mideastweb.org)

Naser o-Din Shah like his predecessor fought against the Imperialistic powers of Russia and Great Britain. Again, Iran couldn't fight the "Imperialistic Powers" arrayed against them and in 1856 the British stopped Iran from reasserting historically founded control of Herat, and then the British made Herat part of Afghanistan. In 1881 Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan fell under Russian control allowing Russia to further encroach on Iran's borders. Trade concessions forced on Iran put the majority of the Iranian economy under British Imperialistic control. (mideastweb.org)

In 1907 the Anglo-Russian Agreement allowed Russia and Great Britain to divide Iran into separate spheres of influence, the north of the country went to the Russians, the south and east to the British and the center was a neutral zone where both powers were free to compete for the spoils of war. Then came World War I and with it the total domination of Iran by the British, Russians, and Ottoman soldiers. (mideastweb.org)

Not many people are aware of these early influences by the "West" and other imperialistic nations. These early attacks against Iran's sovereignty have continued to this day. Some of the players have changed but some of the old remain.

Now, lets look at Iran and those who have tried to take advantage of her in more modern times. Fast forward to World War II, Enter the United States:

In the beginning of WWII Iran declared that they were neutral in the war but in fact they were not. In an effort to resist Russian and British influence they allied themselves with Nazi Germany. At that time Russia and Britain became allies in an effort to defeat Nazi Germany and both their collective minds became fixed on Iran and their Trans-Iranian Railroad. The fact that both Russia and the British needed this railroad to deliver goods from the Persian Gulf to the regions in Russia and the fact that Iran refused to expel the Germans from Iran, gave the two foreign powers all the justification they felt they needed to invade Iran, thereby, snatching control of the railroad. During the invasion another spoil of war was Iranian communications. Then in 1942 the United States came into Iran to help maintain control of the railroad.

Now, some recent history that I feel is the crux of the United States current problems in modern Iran. Dr. Mohammad Mosaddeq, Prime Minister, Nationalist, Thorn in Britain's Proverbial Paw....so, in jumps the U.S. with both feet:

Dr. Mosaddeq was a pivotal character in the history of Iran. Some consider him to be a hero because he tried to wrestle control of their most important resource "OIL" away from British domination. He was democratically elected to the position of Prime Minister Of Iran. He was educated in the west and eventually he was deposed with the help of British MI5 and the CIA.

Dr. Mosaddeq took a hard-line approach to the British and their need for control of the oil in Iran. This hard-line approach earned Iran a boycott on Iranian oil on a global scale. Eventually this hard-line stance against British Imperialism resulted in a coup.

... "passionately opposed foreign intervention in Iran. He was also the architect of the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry which was dominated and exploited by the British through the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (today known as British Petroleum (BP).(wikipedia)

"...He was later removed from power by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in a CIA orchestrated coup, supported and funded by the British and the U.S. governments. The coup was led by CIA agent Kermit Roosevelt, Jr., the grandson of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, and came to be known as Operation Ajax, after its CIA cryptonym, and as the "28 Mordad 1332" coup, after its date on the Iranian calendar." (wikipedia)

The United States justified their actions by trying to link Dr. Mosaddeq with the spread of Communism...sound familiar? Saber rattling to justify military action to further, or secure if you will, hegemony in Iran! What is the alternative to a government you can't control...a puppet government, and the Shah fit the bill for the U.S. and Britain.

"The CIA faced many setbacks, but the covert operation soon went into full swing, conducted from the U.S. Embassy in Tehran under the leadership of Kermit Roosevelt, Jr. Iranians were hired to protest Mossadegh and fight pro-Mossadegh demonstrators. Anti- and pro-monarchy protestors violently clashed in the streets, leaving almost three hundred dead. The operation was successful in triggering a coup, and within days, pro-Shah tanks stormed the capital and bombarded the Prime Minister's residence. Mossadegh surrendered, and was arrested on 19 August 1953. He was tried for treason, and sentenced to three years in prison."(wikapedia)

"Mohammad Reza Pahlavi returned to power greatly strengthened and his rule became increasingly autocratic in the following years. With strong support from the U.S. and U.K., the Shah further modernized Iranian industry, but simultaneously crushed all forms of political opposition with his intelligence agency, SAVAK (trained and supplied by the United States and Britain)....Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini became an active critic of the Shah's White Revolution and publicly denounced the government. Khomeini, who was popular in religious circles, was arrested and imprisoned for 18 months. After his release in 1964, Khomeini publicly criticized the United States government. The Shah was persuaded to send him into exile by General Hassan Pakravan. Khomeini was sent first to Turkey, then to Iraq and finally to France. While in exile, he continued to denounce the Shah....This coup earned the USA and Britain the lasting hatred of large sectors of Iranian public opinion, uniting communists, nationalists and Shi'ite clericalists behind enmity to foreign meddling. Mosaddeq became a folk hero of Iranian nationalism."(mideastweb.org)

Just a side note here but doesn't the Shah sound kind of like Saddam? Useful when we need him, then through away when we don't.

All this above mentioned turmoil, stirred by the U.S. and Britain, culminated in the November 1, 1979 hostage crisis. The Anti-West swing in Power:

I remember a favorite saying of the day, "I think they're Iranian." I also remember people at the time hating the Iranian people for what they had done. The (Iranians) were lambasted by the Media, Political Heads, and the general population that didn't truly understand why this all was happening in the first place. The American people were lead to believe that we were righteous in this horrible event, but in truth we stirred this pot and brought it to a boil.

Here is a thought...maybe if we had tried to deal with Dr. Mosaddeq, let him establish his nationalist ideas, and then dealt with him as a business partner instead of crushing him and trying to take what was theirs, this hostage problem would have never come to fruition.

President Carter was also caught up in a swing of power of his own in the united states. Poor little President Carter was stuck in the middle...Americas little puppet in Iran was sick and now effectively deposed and in exile...what to do, what to do. Well, he (Carter) tried his damnest to solve this dilemma, that had been brewing for years, by Freezing billions of dollars of Iranian assets around the world. He even attempted a hostage rescue that failed miserably. Pres. Carters failed attempts to resolve the hostage crisis was eventually his downfall.

Of course his downfall was (some would say) facilitated by the opposite parties power players namely G.H.W. Bush the head of the CIA at the time. As if by some miracle in January 20 1980, after Reagan's election and inauguration the hostages were released.

Iran-Iraq War and the Iran-Contra Debacle . Some more examples of western interference:

Our other Puppet at the time, Saddam Hussein, was very useful to the United States and her allies. With our help Saddam engaged in a war with Iran that helped weaken Iran our new bitter enemy. Granted Saddam had aspirations of his own but he couldn't do what he did alone.

You know the American government will publicly say, "we don't deal with terrorists...ever." Oh horse pucky...we deal with them when we need to, outside of the public eye. Does the Iran-Contra deal, the hostage negotiation and their miraculous release ring any bells. Do the people in power think the American people are idiots...I mean come on...really.

In closing:

The history lesson is over for now but if the American people don't care to understand what has happened in the past, and now it seems the present, history will continue to repeat itself over and over and over. Maybe not the same countries or the same players but definitely the same scenarios again and again. Something has to change in this world or we will continue down the path of our own destruction. President Bush thought he could use the 9-11 attacks as a free ticket to domination of the Middle East and by proxy their natural resource "OIL" but again it has blown up in their (Power Elitist) faces. When will we ever learn.