CIA's Oil Empire: From Mossadegh to Trump
The CIA and MI6's 1953 coup in Iran was just one of many instances where Western powers have intervened to protect their interests, particularly in regards to oil. The nationalization of oil by Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh's government was seen as a threat to the control of these resources. As the film Three Days of the Condor portrays, it has always been about oil.
In 1953, General Mahmood Afshartoos, the head of Mossadegh's gendarmerie, was kidnapped and tortured by pro-monarchist individuals allegedly with MI6 approval. Dr. Hossein Fatemi, a foreign minister who suggested nationalizing oil, was stabbed and executed after the coup.
The CIA and MI6 have consistently undermined governments that prioritize their country's interests over those of Western powers. The Dulles brothers, lawyers for the United Fruit Company, played a significant role in toppling Arbenz's government in Guatemala in 1954 due to its nationalization efforts.