Qajar Iran
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Mohammad Mosaddegh
Tehran, Qajar Iran
Archival Overview
Democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran who nationalized the British-controlled Iranian oil industry, leading to his overthrow in the 1953 CIA/MI6 coup (Operation Ajax).
Biographical Record
Dr. Mohammad Mosaddegh (1882–1967) was an Iranian statesman, author, and democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953. Born into an aristocratic family, he was the first Iranian to earn a doctorate in law from a European university (University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland), establishing a reputation as a fiercely independent constitutionalist member of the Majlis (Parliament).
Elected Prime Minister in 1951 on a wave of popular national pride, Mosaddegh led the Majlis in unanimously nationalizing the British-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (now BP), which had controlled Iran's petroleum reserves for decades. In 1951, he was named Time magazine's Man of the Year. Resisting British naval blockades and royalist pressure, he instituted progressive social security and agrarian land reforms before being overthrown in August 1953 by a covert CIA and MI6 military coup (Operation Ajax), spending his remaining years under house arrest.
Key Life Milestones
Nationalization of Iranian Oil
Nationalized the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, reclaiming national control over Iran's oil reserves in a landmark for Third World sovereignty.
Time Person of the Year
Argued Iran's case successfully before the International Court of Justice at The Hague, defeating British claims of treaty violation.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialAhmadabad-e Mosaddeq (Alborz), Iran