#Iran, the #United_States and a Nuclear Seesaw
Far from a monolithic relationship, Iran and the United States have spent as many decades as friends as they have as enemies. And for most of the history, whatever the polarity, nuclear issues have played a role.
Aug. 20, 1953
Before the Coup Attempt W. Averell Harriman, left, President Harry S. Truman’s personal foreign policy adviser, conferring with Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh of Iran in 1951. An interpreter sits between them.Associated Press
Prime Minister Ousted in Coup
The Central Intelligence Agency backs a plan, coordinated with British intelligence, to overthrow the Iranian prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The plan has the approval of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and is conceived because of British concerns over petroleum exports and the relationship of the prime minister with the Soviets. The coup, orchestrated by an American agent, leads to the ouster of Mr. Mossadegh, and the shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, becomes an authoritarian monarch.
Royalists Oust Mossadegh; Army Seizes Helm
Key Events in the 1953 Coup
The Agency & The Hill: CIA’s Relationship with Congress, 1946-2004. Chapter 9
►http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/04/07/world/middleeast/iran-timeline.html