More Than 400,000 Iranians File Lawsuit Against US Over 1953 Coup

ALWAGHT- According to the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, over 400,000 Iranian citizens have filed a lawsuit against the US government for orchestrating the 1953 coup against the Iranian administration.

At a weekly press conference on Monday, Nasser Kanaani announced that an Iranian court has initiated proceedings against the US government for its role in the 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq’s legally elected government.

Kanaani revealed that more than 400,000 Iranian citizens have filed complaints against the US and those responsible for the coup, citing over 25 years of moral and material damages inflicted by the hostile actions of the US and British governments against Iran’s legitimate administration.

He emphasized that the court aims to restore the rights of the Iranian people and highlighted the close coordination between the Iranian Judiciary and the Foreign Ministry on the case.

On June 15, 2017, the US State Department released a long-awaited set of declassified documents on the 1953 coup, which ended years of debate and public controversy. This release was significant as it addressed the omission of American and British intelligence involvement from earlier official records.

London had previously denied any involvement in the 1953 coup, but recent evidence has confirmed Britain's participation.

In August 1953, British and American intelligence agencies orchestrated a coup with the help of the Iranian military. This led to widespread riots in Tehran, culminating in the overthrow and arrest of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq.

Mosaddeq was convicted of treason by a court martial, spending three years in solitary confinement before dying under house arrest in 1967.

The coup, which is often cited as a reason for Iranians' deep mistrust of the UK and the US, solidified the Shah's rule for the next 26 years until the 1979 Islamic Revolution, led by Imam Khomeini, which ended the US-backed monarchy.

Mosaddeq had been a key figure in the 1951 movement that nationalized Iran’s oil industry, previously dominated by the British-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (now BP).

Experts argue that the 1953 coup, known as the 28 Mordad coup, was intended to ensure that the Iranian monarchy would protect Western oil interests in the country.