The Modern History of Iran: From Post-War to Present
The modern history of Iran, from the aftermath of World War II to the present, is marked by dramatic shifts in governance, ideology, and regional influence. The country’s trajectory has been shaped by both internal dynamics and persistent foreign intervention, with consequences that continue to reverberate across the Middle East and beyond. In the immediate postwar years, Iran became a stage for Cold War rivalry. One lesser-known episode was the 1946 crisis in Azerbaijan and Mahabad, where Soviet-backed separatist states briefly emerged in northern Iran. With American diplomatic pressure, the Soviets withdrew, and Iranian forces reasserted control, but the incident underscored Iran’s vulnerability to foreign interference. This vulnerability was exploited again in 1953, when the CIA and British intelligence orchestrated a coup to remove Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh after he nationalized Iran’s oil industry. The coup restored the Shah’s autocratic rule and left a legacy of deep mist...