Iran by no means trusts U.S., says govt. spokesman

August 21, 2022 - 20:52

TEHRAN- The spokesperson for the Iranian government, Ali Bahadori Jahromi, has emphasized that Tehran mistrusts Washington and that the Iranian nation has never forgotten the U.S.-led coup in 1953.

To commemorate the 69th anniversary of the 1953 coup, which was orchestrated by American and British intelligence agencies against the government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq, Bahadori Jahromi wrote on Twitter, "Three lessons of the 28 Mordad coup d'état remain forever in the minds of the Iranian people and are the criteria for Iranian politicians' decisions."

The official said, "A strong and independent Iran is what the U.S. is frightened of."

He said, "Trusting the United States in international affairs is pointless, and the approach to deal with this country should be with power, dignity, and adequate assurances."

Nasser Kanaani, the spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, also said on Friday that the U.S. has a dark history of meddling in the domestic affairs of sovereign nations. He cited the U.S.-backed coup in 1953 in Iran as an example of this dark history.

"The U.S. administration holds the record for interfering with, attacking militarily, and overthrowing independent states and governments.

A concrete illustration of this tragic past is the 1953 coup against the Iranian government,” the spokesperson pointed out.

Will the U.S. government change its misguided and ineffective approach to Iran and recognize the fundamental rights of the Iranian people? Kanaani enquired.

The military coup was launched in August 1953 by the British intelligence agency MI6 and its American equivalent CIA. It kicked off a chain of events, including rioting in Tehran's streets, which resulted in Mosaddeq's ouster and detention.

The coup made it possible for Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to return from exile in Italy. General Fazlollah Zahedi, who had received approval from the CIA and MI6, temporarily ruled the country after that. Additionally, it solidified the monarch's reign for the following 26 years until the Islamic Revolution, headed by the late Imam Khomeini, overthrew the Pahlavi regime in 1979.

After the coup, Mosaddeq was found guilty of treason and sentenced to three years in solitary prison before passing away in exile under house arrest in 1967.

However, the historic upheaval is still cited as the cause of the Iranians' mistrust of the United States and Britain.