In 1953, he was ousted by supporters of
Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeg, but the US and UK orchestrated a coup against
the government and reinstated the Shah. This was because the previous regime
nationalized oil interests including that of BP.
After Mosaddeq, the Shah went on to
launch the White Revolution, which upended the wealth and influence of
landowners and clerics, disrupted rural economies and heavily westernised Iran.
Opposition to his rule bubbled up in the
Seventies and protests began in 1978.The Shah responded harshly and many were
killed in demonstrations, which only spurred people on as protests escalated
and many workers went on strike.
In 1979, the Shah and his family fled
Iran and Ayatollah Khomeini, previously in exile, declared Iran an Islamic
Republic.
Conservative Islamic social values
returned and the militias and clerics suppressed all Western cultural
influence. Meanwhile, the Shah went to the US and underwent treatment for
cancer. Anti-Western sentiment in Iran grew stronger and in November 1979
protestors seized 66 hostages in the US embassy and demanded the extradition of
the Shah. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter attempted to rescue the hostages, but
the mission failed and eight US commandos were killed.
Although the Shah died in Egypt, the
hostages were still not released and the captors now demanded other concessions.
The hostages remained in captivity for 444 days until the US agreed to release
frozen Iranian assets and promised not to interfere in Iran.
However, in 1986 Ronald Reagan admitted
to Congress sending “small amounts of defensive weapons” to Iran in what has
since been dubbed the Iran-Contra affair. While it was claimed this was on a
small scale, scandal hit when it was discovered that millions of dollars were
being diverted from Iranian arms sales to Nicaraguan rebels.
The President and Vice President claimed
they had no knowledge of these fund diversions, though. In 1987, the US
intervened in the Iran-Iraq war, protecting certain shipping, sinking several
Iranian ships and also accidentally downed an airliner before the UN brokered
peace in 1988.
In 1991, the US intervened in the Middle
East again after Iraq invaded Kuwait during the Gulf War, striking in Baghdad
and other targets and declining Iran’s offer to mediate.
Iran and Russia signed a nuclear
contract in 1995 – and in 1996 President Clinton imposed sanctions in the fight
against “terrorism”.
In 2002, secret nuclear facilities in
Iran were discovered and in 2004 it agreed to temporarily halt uranium
production. However in 2006, Iran resumed uranium enrichment at Natanz after
negotiations with the US and EU stalled and the US proposed a top-secret
cyberwar programme against Iran, while the UN imposed sanctions.
The second Gulf War – started by the
2003 invasion of Iraq and deposition of Saddam Hussein – left Iran as the major
threat in the Middle East.
During the Obama administration, the US
pushed for Iran to allow international inspection of its nuclear sites, while
the UN ramped up sanctions. Eventually, talks culminated in the Iran nuclear
deal, which many hailed as victory.
However, President Trump claimed Iran
had no intention of sticking to the terms of the agreement and the US currently
perceives Tehran as the most urgent nuclear threat in the world. And so the
U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the Agreement in May 2018.
The real issues remain:
(i) U.S./Western hegemony in the
Middle-east. They cannot see Iranian/Persian power in the region;
(ii) Oil and Iranian reserves are a threat to
U.S. control over energy. Iranian oil (3rd largest producer) will
upset the existing “control” of major OPEC nations;
(iii) Iran’s single mindedness for nuclear
power; and
(iv) Iran's advancement of the Euro instead of U.S. dollar for oil transactions.
The U.S. is upset with over all of the
above but more particularly on (ii) and (iv). This simmering 40-year problem is
a U.S./U.K. creation which can only be solved by clear and calm minds and not a
Twitter-loving President. Meanwhile, implications for the world will include:
-potential spike in oil prices;
-threat of a major (nuclear) war;
-disruption of oil supplies; and
-recession/collapse of the world economy
Dire
as it seems, we pray for a peaceful resolution to a conflict created by years
of mistrust and misunderstanding.
Reference:
Iran Bombshell: the real reason tensions
between Tehran and the US could spark world war 3, Abbie LLewelyn, May 23, 2019, Express
www.express.co.uk
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