What Happened to Iran?

The tragedy of unintended consequences

How did Iran - one of the most tolerant empires of the ancient world - become an authoritarian nation ruled by religious extremists? It was a combination of Islamic conquest, European imperialism, and a struggle over some of the richest oil fields in the world.

Ancient Glory

The story begins 3,000 years ago on the Iranian plateau. The prophet Zoroaster was preaching a new religion - one that emphasized ethical behavior and the worship of one god who wanted humanity to defeat the forces of chaos and live in peace. It caught on. With Zoroastrian principles, Iranian rulers positioned themselves as protectors, not occupiers. They enforced law and order, and brought freedom of religion, free trade, stable taxes, and even women’s rights to an empire that spanned three continents.

1,400 years ago, the Iranian empire was conquered by the Arab armies of the Prophet Muhammad. Although Islam gradually displaced Zoroastrianism as the dominant religion, Iran maintained its language and culture - and, less than two hundred years later, revolted against Arab rule and reclaimed self-governance.

Oil and Intervention

Fast-forward to the 20th century. Once oil was discovered in Iran, England negotiated an exploitative deal, pumping out vast quantities and paying Iran only a tiny fraction of the profits.

Understandably, the Iranian people were not happy with this deal. But, when the populist leader Mohammad Mossadegh took over, promising to nationalize the oil industry, England panicked.

In 1951, British intelligence contacted the CIA and asked for help in staging a coup that would depose Mossadegh. President Truman said no, but, after the 1952 election, newly-elected President Eisenhower gave the plan - Operation AJAX - a green light.

A year later, Mossadegh was in exile, a Western-backed Shah was in power, and England was laughing all the way to the bank.

At this point, from the outside, Iran looked like a modern, progressive country. But inside, the Iranian people were furious about the foreign economic exploitation and political interference.

The Backlash

In Iran, the two most organized resistance factions were the Islamic fundamentalists, led by Ayatollah Khomeinei, and the Soviet-inspired socialist movement. Together, these groups successfully staged the 1979 revolution, expelling the Shah and seizing power.

Once it was done, Khomeinei eliminated the socialists, rebranded the war as the Islamic Revolution, and dedicated Iran to the goal of spreading revolutionary Islamist ideology worldwide – while brutally oppressing the Iranian people, many of whom had fought for freedom from foreign intervention, not for theocratic rule.

The Present Day

For decades now, brave men and women in Iran have faced imprisonment, torture, and death for protesting their government. But the tide may finally be turning. If the security forces side with the people and turn against the regime, we may yet see a rejection of Islamic extremism and a return to the ancient Iranian principles of freedom and justice. This time, in a peaceful nation - finally governed by and for the Iranian people themselves.