Iran's Weekly Wire 27

IranWire

This week marks the 62nd anniversary of the overthrow Iran’s popular prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, by the CIA and MI6. Many Iranians see Mossadegh as Iran's last great statesman. He nationalised Iran's oil industry, modernised Iran's economy, and balanced the power of the Shah. For them, his overthrow symbolises the beginning of Iran's many political misfortunes. But this year, as Iran seals a deal with the US over its nuclear program, some Iranians say they have found a new Mossadegh: Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. Does the analogy hold up? This week, Roland Elliott Brown speaks to three historians to find out.