The US and Brits sponsored a coup against Iran's elected leader Mossadeq in 1953 or so...
This was a successful black op by Ike--he liked to do things on the sly--and the CIA
--Mossadeq made the mistake of trying to get a better deal out of oil companies extracting Iran's resources by nationalizing the oil fields. This got him branded "communist" and allowed the brits and US to intervene under Cold War foreign policy doctrines.
--the US at this point, had little use for the Iranian oil, they did, however, want to secure oil access for western europe so that they could rebuild their economies and reduce post war conditions that were thought to be favorable to the electoral chances of various state communist parties.
The US then supported the Shah's regime, made Iran a client state, and provided it with weapons, trained its secret police (SAVAK), and used Iran as a buffer state against Soviet expansionism in the region.
The Shah was very westernized but he was also a brutal dictator.
During the 1970s, the Iranian's mobilized, started a nationalist revolution, and deposed the Shah.
The Shah (very sick with stomach cancer I think at the time) sought sanctuary in a variety of nations--including the US--but was denied.
I think he ended up in Panama-but you should check that...
The hostages were taken by the Iranian student movement because they were afraid of US intervention--having lived with the memory of the US-sponsored coup in the 1950s.
This was AFTER the revolution had occurred and the Shah had been kicked out.
The Iranian revolution, however, went bad, with religious fundamentalists seizing power, establishing an Islamic state, and gradually reducing the involvement of the other sectors of Iranian society through various means--jail, death, intimidation, etc.
At this point the US needed another ally in the region to project power and keep an eye on the commies AND the Iranians.
the Cold War was still a concern, and the commie invasion of Afghanistan was a major problem--the US was far more dependent on middle east oil by this time.
So, at this point the Reagan Adminstration started helping Iraq AND training mujahadeen in Afghanistan--and this initiative was actually Carter's idea--to fight the Soviets and give them their own "Vietnam."
Thus,in 1983 the Reagan Administration sent Rumsfeld--then a private citizen--to meet with Saddam Hussein and offer him better relations with the US.
The US sided with Iraq in the first Gulf War and provided him with arms, intel, money, bank credits, etc.
And, in an effort to deal with both sides and perhaps play off one against the other, Reagan got involved with secret deals to send weapons and spare parts (F-14 stuff, HAWK stuff, other stuff) to Iran in exchange for their help in freeing American hostages in Lebanon--proceeds from these transactions were then sent to the COntras in Nicaragua.
By playing off Iraq against Iran and making sure that neither power dominated the region, theoretically the US could prevent the spread of radical Islam and maintain a balance of power that would prevent any one local power from dominating the Persian Gulf.
This all made sense in the realm of Cold War foreign policy, but it sure came back to bite us in the ass...
Good summary Steveeboy. I think the Shah ended up in Egypt, but it sounds right that he may have spent time in Panama. Also, during the whole Iran/Contra thing, wasn't Reagan dealing with some people who he thought represented the Iranian government, but in fact were not?
against Iran's elected leader Mossadeq. Wrong, Mossadeq was not elected leader of Iraq. After the Prime Minister Razmara, was murdered by terrorists (because he opposed nationalization of the oil industry), the Shah was pressured into appointing Mossadeq as prime minister.
Mossadeq made the mistake of trying to get a better deal out of oil companies
If you consider complete expropriation and rejection of any attempt at negotiated settlement to be 'negotiating a better deal'.
This got him branded "communist"
Nationalizing industry, dissolving the legislature, ruling as a dictator. Shoot, he doesn't sound any more communist than his contemporary, Fidel Castro.
The US and Brits sponsored a coup
The Shah appointed Mossadeq; he fired him and appointed Zahedi as Prime Minister. When he refused to relinquish power, as anticipated, the CIA was ready with plan B, which proved sucessful. The coup attempt was by Mossadeq, the CIA helped maintain the legal rulers in place.
During the 1970s, the Iranian's mobilized, started a nationalist revolution, and deposed the Shah.
Can you post this with a straight face? Try "militant islamic fundamentalists" rather than nationalists, and you might be taken more seriously.