The CIA installed the Shah of Iran after the elected government started talking about nationalizing the oil industry. The Shah wanted Western investment so he modernized parts of society, but ruthlessly repressed all political opponents.

So, the USA ended up creating an enemy by denying people their right to be heard.

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 44 points 1 year ago

The CIA installed the Shah of Iran after the elected government started talking about nationalizing the oil industry.

I feel the need to point out that nationalizing the oil industry wasn't the catalyst for CIA involvement (just the catalyst for British involvement); we actually initially refused the British on anti-colonial grounds, for similar reasons as to why we got involved in the Suez Canal Crisis against Britain, France, and Israel. The US intelligence services didn't get involved with the overthrow of Mossadegh until (mostly unfounded) fears that the Tudeh Party would replace him were stoked.

But yeah, nitpicking motivations aside, engineering the coup was not the US's finest moment