Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in His Own Words

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: In His Own Words

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

As former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw recounted publicly in a 2006 forum at Davos, the first Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Islamic Republic of Iran time he met President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he was immediately chided about England's role in the coup of 1953. More recently, when a delegation of religious leaders visited Iran in February 2007, they were reminded of the 1953 coup by Iranians everywhere they went. They report that the coup was repeatedly brought up by the many government officials they met with, including Ahmadinejad.

It is highly unlikely that the current regime in Iran would even be raising the subject of the 1953 coup, and particularly the name of Mossadegh, were it not under such enormous pressure from the West over its contested nuclear program. Though the Islamic Republic is no friend of democracy, they know full well that the United States and Britain are anti-democracy themselves, and their claims to the contrary ring hollow to a people who endured 27 years of an imposed, U.S. sponsored dictatorship.

Comparisons of Iran's oil nationalization to its nuclear sovereignty are legitimate and easily apparent. Yet as tensions rise, and other Iranian officials have exploited the 1953 coup for political leverage with increasing frequency. Provoking Iran over what it terms its "obvious right" to nuclear fuel has allowed the mullahs to continue to consign blame to the United States and its allies.

It is in this heated atmosphere that the coup of '53 resurfaces in Iranian political affairs.

April 5, 2007

On 4/5/07, the day the captured British marines who allegedly trespassed into Iranian waters were released, the Iranian government held a press conference in which Ahmadinejad took the opportunity to lecture the West about its history of anti-Iranian crimes. According to the IRNA, a reporter from The Independent (a British newspaper) asked what the US and Britain had done to Iran in the past. IRNA's translation of his response:

"The 1953 coup, supporting the last Iranian dictator for 25 years, supporting the past tyrant regime's vast massacre of the Iranians in 1963 and 1978, are a few of those antagonist moves." The president also referred to a coup plot before the victory of the Islamic revolution, the eight-year Iraqi imposed war that was backed by both those governments, and moves aimed at sowing the seeds of discord among the different Iranian ethnic groups as other cases of US-British plots hatched against the Iranian nation.

"Recently, too, the terrorists arrested in Khuzestan confessed to having ties with London and let us not forget that a number of our citizens in Ahvaz had got killed in bomb attacks committed by those terrorists."

"In nuclear issue, too, those two powers are acting against our nation jointly."

US, British joint acts against Iran numerous: Ahmadinejad
IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Wednesday, the list of US and British governments' antagonist moves against Iran is too long to be mentioned.

He made the comment in response to a foreign reporter who had asked whether the US and British forces had made any move against Iran in the past, at his first press conference in Iranian New Year, 1386 in which the highlight was his announcement of the release of the 15 detained British marines on auspicious occasion of Prophet Muhammad's blessed birth anniversary.

Upon British daily Independent's reporter who insisted for knowing the joint US-British governments' moves against Iran, President Ahmadinejad said, "The 1953 coup (against Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq's government), supporting the last Iranian dictator for 25 years, supporting the past tyrant regime's vast massacre of the Iranians in 1963 and 1978, are a few of those antagonist moves." The president also referred to a coup plot before the victory of the Islamic revolution, the eight-year Iraqi imposed war that was backed by both those governments, and moves aimed at sowing the seeds of discord among the different Iranian ethnic groups as other cases of US-British plots hatched against the Iranian nation.

He added, "Recently, too, the terrorists arrested in Khuzestan confessed to having ties with London and let us not forget that a number of our citizens in Ahvaz had got killed in bomb attacks committed by those terrorists."
President Ahmadinejad added, "In nuclear issue, too, those two powers are acting against our nation jointly."

August 8, 2006

Ahmadinejad mentioned the 1953 coup in his August 2006 "60 Minutes" interview with Mike Wallace, but it was not included in the CBS TV prime time edit. However, it was later broadcast on C-SPAN unedited. At this point in the interview, Wallace is pressing Ahmadinejad on his statement that the U.S. is against Iranian progress and development.

Ahmadinejad: Before the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a dictatorship used to rule this country.

Wallace: The Shah of Iran?

Ahmadinejad: 100,000 American advisors used to be here, in this country working. All the affairs of this country were run by the Americans. In 1332 (Iranian calendar), they opposed a popular government taking power in this country. They helped the coup organizers.. of course, later they apologized - 50 years later.

Watch the entire interview (Ahmadinejad's comment on the coup occurs around the 18:00 mark).

May 9, 2006

In May 2006, Ahmadinejad penned a well-publicized 18 page letter to President George W. Bush. The letter touched on the various grievances of the Iranian nation, beginning, as usual, with the coup:

The courageous and faithful people of Iran also have many questions to pose. In particular, the coup d'etat of August 19, 1953, it has been over 52 years since the fall of the legal government of the time, the opposition to the Islamic revolution and the transformation of the embassy to the headquarters of opponents of the Islamic Republic (there are thousands of documents to prove this), the support for Saddam Hussein in the war against Iran, the shooting down of the Iranian airliner, the seizure of the assets of the Iranian people, the increased threats and complaints over the scientific and nuclear progress of the Iranian people, while all the Iranians are cheering the advances of their country. There are many other cases which I will not expose in this letter.

September 14, 2005

Ahmadinejad's first reference to the coup to an international audience occurred during his 2005 speech before the United Nations General Assembly. Note the spin he employs to help legitimize the Islamic regime.

Today, my nation calls on other nations and governments to "move forward to a durable tranquility and peace based on justice and spirituality." Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Islamic Republic of Iran is born out of a movement, based on the pure primordial nature of a people who rose up to regain their dignity, esteem and human rights.

The Islamic Revolution toppled a regime which had been put in place through a coup, and supported by those who claim to be advocates of democracy and human rights thwarted the aspirations of the nation for development and progress for 25 years through intimidation and torture of the populace and submission and subservience to outsiders. The Islamic Republic of Iran is the manifestation of true democracy in the region. The discourse of the Iranian nation is focused on respect for the rights of human beings and a quest for tranquility, peace, justice and development for all through monotheism.