Educational Resources
Ten years in the making, COUP 53 tells the story of the 1953 the Anglo-American coup d’état that overthrew Iran’s government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and reinstalled the Shah. The CIA/MI6 covert action was called Operation Ajax. It was all about Iran’s oil and who gets to control and benefit from it. BP was at the heart of this story. Shot in seven countries, featuring participants and first-hand witnesses, and unearthing never seen before archive material, COUP 53 is a politically explosive and cinematically innovative documentary that lifts the lid on secrets buried for over sixty-six years.
Below are a list of resources where you can read more about the coup d’état and a wider history of Anglo-American relations with Iran.
Articles
COUP D’ETAT OF 1332 Š./1953 – Encyclopaedia Iranica
It’s Time to Release the Real History of the 1953 Iran Coup – Malcolm Byrne, Politico
The 1953 Coup D’etat in Iran – International Journal of Middle East Studies, Cambridge
CIA Confirms Role in 1953 Iran Coup – The National Security Archive
MI6, The Coup in Iran that changed the Middle East and the Cover Up – The Observer 2020
Books
Musaddiq and the Struggle for Power in Iran – Homa Katouzian
Mohammad Mosaddeq and the 1953 Coup in Iran – Mark J. Gasiorowski (Editor), Malcolm Byrne (Editor)
All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror – Stephen Kinzer
Patriot of Persia: Muhammad Mossadegh and a Tragic Anglo-American Coup – Christopher De Bellaigue
Nationalism in Iran, Updated through 1978 – Richard Cottam
Iran and the United States: A cold war case study – Richard Cottam
Mohammad Mossadegh. A Political Biography – F. Diba
MI6: Fifty Years of Special Operations Paperback –Stephen Dorril
The English Job: Understanding Iran and Why It Distrusts Britain – Jack Straw