The United States intervened in Iran in the 1950s through a covert coup to overthrow Prime Minister Mossadegh, reinstating the Shah and establishing a dictatorship, which later led to the Islamic revolution in 1979.
The United States intervened in Iran in the 1950s by orchestrating a covert coup to overthrow Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, who had nationalized a British oil company. Operation Ajax, led by the CIA, reinstated the Iranian monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, establishing a 25-year dictatorship supported by the U.S.
This action was motivated by the U.S.'s Cold War concerns about communism spreading and its desire to maintain influence in the region by supporting the Shah. However, this intervention ultimately led to anti-American sentiments in Iran, culminating in the Islamic revolution of 1979.
