West’s meddling in Iran

Tobacco Protest (1891)

On 20 March 1890, the long-standing Iranian Qajar monarch Nasir al-Din Shah granted a concession to British Major GF Talbot for a full monopoly over the production, sale, and export of tobacco for 50 years. At the time, the Persian tobacco industry employed over 200,000 people, so the concession represented a major blow to Persian farmers and traders. The boycotts and protests against it were widespread and extensive as a result of cleric Mirza Hasan Shirazi's fatwa (judicial decree).

Persian Constitutional Revolution (1905–1911)

The growing dissatisfaction continued until the Constitutional Revolution of 1905–1911. The revolution led to the establishment of a parliament, and approval of the first constitution. Although the revolution was successful in weakening the autocracy of the Qajar regime, it failed to provide a powerful alternative government. Therefore, in the decades following the establishment of the new parliament, a number of critical events took place. The Shahs of Persia were backed by foreign powers against the parliament.

Reza Shah (1921–1935)

Insecurity and chaos created after the Constitutional Revolution led to the rise of General Reza Khan, the commander of the elite Persian Cossack Brigade who seized power, with the help of UK, in a coup d'état in February 1921. He established a constitutional monarchy, deposing the last Qajar Shah, Ahmed Shah, in 1925 and being designated monarch by the National Assembly, to be known thenceforth as Reza Shah, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty.

Iranian coup d'état (1953)

In 1941, an invasion of allied British and Soviet troops deposed Reza Shah, who was considered friendly to Nazi Germany, and installed his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as Shah. From 1901 on, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, owned by Britain, enjoyed a monopoly on sale and production of Iranian oil. It was the most profitable British business in the world. In 1953, following the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry by the democratically elected prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh, American and British forces instituted a highly effective embargo of Iranian oil, and covertly destabilized the legislature and helped return control to their ally, Pahlavi. The American "Operation Ajax", orchestrated by the CIA, was aided by the British MI6 in organizing a military coup d'état to oust Mossadegh on August 19.