Letter to The New York Times (April 2000)
| Arash Norouzi The Mossadegh Project | September 2, 2026 |
It has been 26½ years since The New York Times ran their front page story “Secrets of History: The CIA in Iran” by James Risen, in conjunction with an expansive online version. That’s equal to the entire reign of the
Shah after the 1953 coup itself.
The historical account of the joint Anglo-American operation was already well established at the time. Over the past several decades, much more evidence has been released, notably the 2017 edition of Foreign Relations of the United
States (FRUS). The additional documentation
emphasized the
facts tenfold.
Ironically, denial of the coup and denigration of Premier Mohammad Mossadegh, largely among
royalists, has seen a strong resurgence lately. This low-effort letter from the former Queen, Farah Diba Pahlavi, was ahead of the trend.
In Defense of the Shah: The Widow’s Tale
To the Editor,
Your April 16 front-page article "How a Plot Convulsed Iran in ‘53 (and in ‘79)" makes unjust remarks about my late husband, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi. [sic] It also gives a partial account of the
events of 1953.
My husband at first supported Prime Minister Mohammed
Mossadegh in the fight for the
nationalization of Iran’s oil industry. Only when the shah was convinced that political and economic deterioration was threatening Iran’s independence and stability did he feel constitutionally obligated to
dismiss Dr. Mossadegh.
The Shah returned to Iran because of the will of the majority
of Iranians. During the rest of his reign, he played a pivotal role in promoting regional and world peace. His service to Iran will never be forgotten.
Let us hope that impartial historians will write the truth about these events. Today, rather than allowing ourselves to be divided by old wounds, we Iranians should unite to support our compatriots in their legitimate struggle for
freedom.
Iran will rise from its ashes.
Greenwich, Conn., April 24, 2000
Related links:
The Shah of Iran’s Speech Celebrating 1953 Coup Anniversary (Aug. 19, 1959)
CNN: U.S. Comes Clean About The Coup In Iran (April 19, 2000)
THE SHAH: He Died A Failure, Leaving Hard Lessons For Us | Detroit Free Press, July 1980
MOSSADEGH t-shirts — “If I sit silently, I have sinned”
