Iran and

the Middle
East
Iran became
an important
geopolitical
part of the
Cold War.
It was on
the border
with the
USSR.
It had a
huge amount
of oil.
In 1951
Muhammad
Mussadeq
became Prime
Minister of
Iran.
He had an
unusual
idea
the oil in
Iran should
belong to
the Iranian
people
In 1953 Mussadeq
nationalized the oil in Iran.
Western oil companies
were furious.
Eisenhower sent Kermit
Roosevelt to organize a
coup to overthrow the
democratic government.
The CIA put Shah
Mohammed Reza Pahlavi
into power.
The Shah immediately
gave western oil
companies their oil
contracts back.
The Shah then
ruthlessly suppressed
his own people and
wasted money on his
military.
The Iranian people
grew to hate the Shah
and his secret
police.
Iranian
opposed the
moral
decline of
the Shah.
In 1979,
Ayatollah
Khomeini led a
successful
revolution that
ousted the Shah.
The
Revolution
was against
the Shah
and the USA
University students protested outside the U.S. Embassy.
They stormed the embassy and took American hostages for
444 days.
Khomeini
was swept
to power.
The CIA
involvement
in the
Shahs rule
was
exposed.
Khomeini declares
the Islamic
Republic of Iran
(Shiite Muslim)
President
Reagan fears
the spread of
the Shiite
revolution.

So he sends
Secretary of
State Donald
Rumsfeld to
Baghdad to
get help from
the U.S. ally,
Saddam
Hussein.
Rumsfeld convinces Hussein to invade
Iran with promises of American support.
Donald Rumsfeld delivers weapons
(including chemical ones) to Saddam
Hussein who uses them at Hallabja
against the Iranians.
In 1980 Iraq invades Iran
Afghanistan Blowback
The Socialist government of
Afghanistan asks the Russians to
come into Afghanistan to help
restore order in the country
Red Army Troops flow into
Afghanistan
The US thinks that Afghanistan
can become the Soviet Vietnam
The USA funds the Mujahadeen (Muslim fighters) and
trains and arms Osama bin Laden