To understand Iran is to understand history.
To understand your enemy understand WHY, they are angry with you.



How the shaw came to power.
The Pahlevis were the last dynasty to hold court in Iran. Reza Shah was the last of them. The Pahlevis come from a land where the royalty has always been stupid rich. They all had lush lifestyles. The shift to a globalized economy degraded their economy. Reza Shah’s predecessor began selling Iranian assets in an attempt to live the lush lifestyle leaders had always enjoyed. They sold control of many key trades, including the rights to oil. It was 1901 Mozzafer al-Din Shah Qajar sold the rights to extract and sell oil in Iran to a company known as the Burmah Oil Company. When they found a reserve in 1909 the Anglo Persian Oil Company (APOC) was created.

The venture in Iran represented the last time a nation would use such a solid crack the whip mentality. After the fall of Mozzafer al-Din Shah Qajar, Reza Shah came to power. By this time the refinery that APOC built was beginning to look like a southern plantation. The British workers were lived in beautiful homes built for them. They had lawns and resorts. Hotels and restaurants. The Iranian workers were given a mat to live on. Their whole family had to live on it. They had no sewage and no running water. There was no electricity. Disease was rampant, and the Iranians were never trained to do the managerial or technical jobs. They could only be roughnecks, thereby assuring that they could not revolt. A revolt would shut down the plant and it would not be able to be opened back up by Iranians.

APOC lied about its profits and came through with even less than they promised to give Iran. Which was a drop in the bucket anyways. Mossadegh was the emerging leader. He was told to run for office by his friends in the neighborhood. He never suggested he should work in government, but what his people asked him he did. He rode a tidal wave of success in government. He never backed down from his morals. He left government all together a couple of times because he would not compromise what he believed was right and wrong. Reza Shah was his enemy. Mossadegh fought for the average Iranian. His biggest platform began as a fifty fifty profit split with APOC, as well as the right to audit their books. Brittan Laughed. Every time there were talks Brittan would insult the Iranians and crack the whip even harder.

Mossadgeh was a secularist who believed that government and religion had a necessary divide. Although he was also devout. Reza Shah was pro west. He sought the favor of the West because he wanted its lifestyle for himself. Everytime Brittan got tough with Iran they cried to America for help. And they got it. By the 40s it was getting bad. Mossadgeh by now was fighting for nationalization of Iranian oil. Anglo Persian Oil had been changed to Anglo Iranian Oil. FDR had been trying to get Brittan to adopt a policy more open to fairness. This was the last time the government of Brittan would work so diligently on the behalf of a private firm. He never managed to convince them.

Iranians were tired of the sweatshop conditions and began to show dire unrest. By now in America the Dulles brothers had managed to attain the posts of Secretary of Defense and director of the CIA. Between the two of them they had control over the covert and overt operations of the military might of America. Kermit Roosevelt was the odd ball Roosevelt. He had been in Iran finding ways to get rid of Mossadegh. Mossadegh by this time had emerged as one of the greatest leaders in Persian history. Not modern Persian history, but the entirety of Persian history. All around the world he was admired. After be recalled by his people after a self imposed exile he was appointed Prime Minister by his enemy Reza Shah. Shah means king. By political power only he would later force Reza Shah into peaceful exile. The King. FDR denied any requests by the Dulles brothers to launch a coup. Iranians looked to America as their saving grace. We helped them out a lot. But when FDR was done Ike came in. Right away he granted permission to run operation Ajax. Mossadgeh was overthrown and the people never knew why.

1953 is when Mossadgeh was overthrown by the US and the pro western exiled King was brought back. America continued to send aid to the Iranians. Millions of dollars. Tons of food. But of course they never mentioned that they were the ones who overthrew Mossadegh. The American people were proud. They neither knew of Operation Ajax. They felt good to be doing such a nice thing for such an unlucky country. The Iranians loved the US because of the help. By the 70s Reza Shah had become amazingly oppressive. Dissention was quashed by the SAVAK. Reza Shah had become a dictator. Many fought him, but his power had been consolidated by the US and he was damn near bullet proof.

In the 70s is when the news of Ajax leaked. The Iranians were dumbfounded. They could not believe that the US did it. It was like finding out that your favorite uncle had sold you into slavery. In 1979 hostages were taken. A group of college kids stormed an embassy and held Americans captive. The college kids were mad and wanted to do something, but after they realized that they were face to face with real people they got scared. During the incident, none of the hostages were beaten, starved, or mistreated. After the drama was over the workers were brought back to the US. Before their arrival the White House gave memos to the press asking them to begin to mention Munchausen’s syndrome. They should talk about relating to ones captors, and how they begin to sympathize because they go crazy. As soon as the workers were landed they were whisked away to a mental care facility. Their credibility had been destroyed.

The American people were pissed. How could our little Iranians bite us like this? They have to be stupid and wars began.

Now the point of all this is that while all the maneuvering was going on the Iranian people, as well as the American people were lied to. The Ajax leaders manipulated public opinion for a quarter century. The Embassy workers had nothing to do with it. The College kids had nothing to do with it. They floated in their bubble believing what their leaders said was the truth. Just like today, but the leaders were practiced politicians who knew the dirty deed that had taken place. This is what they do. they have been groomed in politics. I am not saying Mossadegh was right. Neither Reza Shah. Neither Kermit Roosevelt. Neither FDR. Neither Ike. Neither the Dulles brothers. What I am saying is that their little game of politics took the lives of the residents of Iran who were unaware of any of it. It cost the Embassy workers more than a year of their lives and they were unaware.

Next time you stand up to support your leaders why don’t you make sure they deserve it. Politicians from all over the world will do what ever it takes to mold public opinion into a thing that will benefit their lifestyle. Rarely does this end up being good for their nation, but they usually don’t care. FDR was different. But as soon as he left and Ike came in we went after South America Africa and the Middle East. The fear many have of America is its bi polar attitude. This is evident now. We are coming off a president who used diplomacy. He also had many military plans, but was unable to pursue them. The world only saw the diplomacy. Then when people get tired of that the current administration came in and shocked and awed the world. Now when this one is done we will be back to diplomacy. FDR would not allow the coups anywhere. Then the next administration was coup coup for cocoa puffs. How the hell CAN any other nation trust us? We will be your best friend during one presidency, then the next we are mauling you. I am not promoting. I am not spinning. This is simple history. By the way APOC became British Petroleum the year after Mossadeghs overthrow.

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The crows seemed to be calling his name, thought Caw.
- Jack Handy