In 1953, the American Government assisted in a coup to topple Iran’s democratically elected prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh.
According to CNN (Wed June 18, 2025) Mossadegn pledged to nationalise the nation’s oilfields, which the USA and the UK did not like due to their dependence on Middle East oil at the time. The coup was to support the Iranian monarch, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to rule as Shah of Iran, and appoint a new prime minister, Gen. Fazlollah Zahedi.(Helen Regan, CNN, 2025).
The Iranian people did not like US interference and there was a coup in 1979 which overthrew Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. $5,000,000 had been covertly provided by the US government to stabilise Zahedi, the Prime minister in 1953.
The US declassified documents in 2013 which showed the CIA involvement in the coup. In 2009 Barack Obama admitted the US government were involved.
Of course, Shah Pahlavi supported the US and had close ties with them but in 1979 the Iranian people, in the Islamic Revolution, overthrew the Shah, which ushered in clerical rule in the Iranian Republic. (Helen Regan, CNN, 2025).
REFERENCES
Regan, Helen, 2025, ‘The US has toppled an Iranian government before. Here’s what happened’, CNN website, Wed June 18, 2025,
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/18/middleeast/us-toppled-iranian-government-before-hnk-intl
Accessed: 12:51 11th January 2026
Opinion
USA’s involvement in the current protests is not as simple as we might think. They are in a zugzwang position. The people hated the USA’s involvement in 1953 and the USA involvement today is more than the plan the USA has for the direction it wants to take. Yet, the bombast Donald Trump spouts somewhat drives the USA to take action in Iran.
By taking over the Venezuelan oilfields which produce very heavy crude oil the US denies it to future enemies and increases its economy. The USA is oil independent today, and has no very heavy crude oilfields. It does, however, have a lot of refineries specifically geared towards very heavy crude oil, which until recently, they got from Canada. There is some doubt as to whether importing very heavy crude oil from Canada is reliable, such are the tensions between the countries.
The world has cried, ‘Beware the Russians’ and ‘Beware the Chinese’ for decades. The Global South fear the West with the USA at its head. NATO has been seen to be toothless. Indeed, the world recognises that without the US, NATO cannot defend itself.
Trump, while attempting to make America economically great has taken advantage of the drug smuggling and organised crime that operated in Venezuela to puff up the military threat of America.
The USA relies on NATO for intelligence. They cannot afford to be alienated from NATO countries. They will not enter into a military confrontation with NATO if they leave, or invade Greenland by force; They will not risk military confrontation with NATO, China and Russia simultaneously. Japan, who were, in the late 1930s, in China took advantage of the second World War to spread its influence in the Pacific.
With no support from the EU there would be no intelligence sharing; Russia would take advantage of a vulnerable Ukraine and the Baltic countries. Europe may find itself vulnerable on its Western front without US support. War would break out between the weakened NATO and Russia. With a long drawn out conflict between Europe and Russia, China gains an economic advantage in Europe. This is something the US does not want to happen. Unless the USA aims to financially profit with another arms sales plan that would take decades to repay.
Alternatively, if the USA withdraws from NATO they would be able to take Greenland however and whenever they want, because Europe would be busy fighting Russia. However, China still gets an economic advantage in Europe as Europe’s manufacturing switches to armament on a war-footing.
The most probable scenario is that all of Europe and NATO is in cahoots with the US for the US to posture and and show their military force and its skill, and supports Trump’s bombast to give a portrayal of a (false) probability of the US invading Russia or anywhere it wants to.
The USA can already build its military force in Greenland and make deals with Greenland for mining rights. It is better if it is seen to be done by force or bullying, and for NATO to fall back obsequiously, as they bow towards the USA’s military might.