Iranian court opens trial against US over 1953 coup – Sri Lanka Guardian

Tehran, Iran – An Iranian court has opened a trial against the US government and its officials for their involvement in the 1953 coup that overthrew the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. The trial began on Sunday, coinciding with the 71st anniversary of the coup, in the 55th Branch of the Court of International Affairs in Tehran's Imam Khomeini Court Complex.

The lawsuit, filed by some 402,000 Iranians, targets six American individuals and companies for their role in the coup that brought to power the pro-Western monarch Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who remained in power until the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Shami Aghdam, the plaintiffs' lawyer, stated that documents show that the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), with the support of the British MI6, staged the coup on August 19, 1953, against the legitimate Iranian government by using internal and external agents. Aghdam further claimed that the coup violated international principles and that Washington and London were trying to maintain their influence over Iran, secure their interests and exploit the country's resources.

The coup, carried out by military and political figures with ties to the US and British governments, as well as local gangsters, marked the beginning of American dominance over Iran. This control, the lawsuit alleges, hampered Iran's independence and progress for over 25 years and caused significant material and spiritual harm to the country and its people.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani also commented on the incident in a post on X (formerly Twitter), condemning the coup and the US and UK's subsequent support for the tyrannical regime that followed. Kan'ani called the coup a permanent stain on the history of both nations and criticized their history of slavery, colonialism, coups and military interventions around the world. He also accused them of continuing to support oppressive regimes, including the Israeli government and its actions in Gaza, while hypocritically claiming to be committed to democracy and human rights.

The 1953 coup was a turning point in Iranian history, leading to unrest in Tehran and the eventual ousting and arrest of Mossadegh. Known for nationalizing Iran's oil industry and challenging British control, Mossadegh was later convicted of treason and spent three years in solitary confinement before dying under house arrest in 1967.

In 2013, the United States officially acknowledged its role in the coup and released intelligence documents revealing the extent of its involvement in the overthrow of Mossadegh's government.