The Iranian revolution and the Iran-Iraq war Flashcards
1
Q
1953 Iranian coup
A
- Since 1913 Iran’s oil was controlled by the British(Anglo-Persian Oil)
- Mohammed Mosaddegh was democratically elected in 1951
- He tried to limit the monarchy’s powers by cutting the Shah’s budget
- Mosaddegh nationalises Iran’s oil supplies about a week after being sworn into office
- This along with Mosaddegh’s increasingly socialist policies, anger Britain and America
- The US wanted to prevent the Soviet access to the Persian Gulf and to be close to the oil reserves in the Middle East
- The CIA and British intelligence conspired to overthrow Mosaddegh and in 1953 he was removed from office
- One of the reasons that led to fall of Mosaddegh was the withdrawal of support to him from the Shiite clergy who were fearful of a communist takeover
2
Q
Who were the Shah
A
- Shah Reza Pahlavi marked 2500 years of continuous Persian monarchy
- Mohammad Reza adopted controversial policies that conflicted with the religious clergy
- During Mosaddegh’s time as the Prime Minister, the Shah lost a lot of Power
- Following the 1953 coup, the US installed Shah Reza Pahlavi
- The appointment of the Shah brought Iran into the US sphere of influence and made Iran a client state to the West
- Agreed to safeguard US interests in the region
- Key US ally in the volatile region: Supported monarchies in the region against communist forces backed by the USSR
- The Shah’s regime was extremely repressive
- For Iranian’s, the US implemented a brutal dictator that ruled over them for decades
3
Q
The causes of the Iranian revolution
A
- Repression: The Shah established the National Intelligence and Security Organisation
- Lack of support to the agricultural sector: Peasants who were displaced to the cities by land reform measures found comfort in the mosques where they heard sermons by Khomeini
- Corruption: Despite having large oil revenues, the Shah’s corrupted policies created problems leading to inflation, greater income inequality and growing dependence on the West to help resolve problems.
- The spread the Shiite version of Islamic revival that opposed Westernization
4
Q
Who was Ayatollah Khomeini
A
- Khomeini, charismatic preacher especially compared to traditional Muslim scholars
- Denounced Shah’s regime for association with the West
- Iranian Islamic State based on his ideology
- Exiled in 1965
5
Q
The 1979 revolution
A
- Cassette copies of lectures denouncing the Shah were circulated throughout Iran
- Protests began in Oct 1977. Strikes paralyzed the country in 1978
- More than 70 students in religious schools died as a result of clashes with the government
- To start with, the Shah promised full democratic elections for the local councils and passed a few resolutions to reduce corruption in government and the royal family. This made protest fade away
- Four people closed the does of a big cinema in the city of Abadan and set it on fire which killed 420 people
- Different parties blame each other
- This led to the renewal of the protest movement all over Iran
- Soldiers started rejecting orders to quell the protest and defected from the army
- The Shah left Iran on 17th January 1979 and never returned
- Khomeini returned to Iran on the 1st of February
- A new government was formed based on Islamic principles
6
Q
Jimmy Carter and the Shah
A
- Carter visited Tehran in December 1977
- Described as ‘‘an island of instability’’, and toasted the Shah for ‘‘the admiration and love which your people give you’’
- Following the revolution, it was not pre-determined that the US relations with the new Islamic republic would necessarily be bad
- Oct 21 1979, President Jimmy Carter authorised the deposed Shah of Iran to enter the United States for medical treatment. This had catastrophic consequences
7
Q
US embassy hostage crisis
A
- November 4th 1979, a group of Iranian students stormed the US embassy in Tehran.
- They took 52 embassy staff hostage, which would last 444 days
- They wanted the American administration to return the Shah to Iran for trial and execution
- There were two failed attempts to rescue the prisoners
- Due to inability to rescue the hostages, Carter lost the election in 1980
- Algiers accord was signed in 1981 and the US made a pledge that it will not intervene directly or indirectly in Irans internal affairs
8
Q
Long-term causes of the Iraq war
A
- Economic/ strategic of Shatt-al-Arab. It connected the Persian Gulf with the Iranian port of Khorramshahr and Abadan. It is also an important location for world oil trade. Iraq considered this area to be Iraqi territory that was occupied by Iran and wanted to claim it back.
- Religious: Iraqi leadership was mainly Sunni, whereas most of the Iraqi population was Shiite. Some scholars claim that the religious differences between the two leaderships played a role in the conflict.
- Ethnic: Resentment existed between Arabs and Persians since Arabs invaded Persia centuries ago. Persians could not form a consolidated country for almost 800 years
9
Q
Short term Causes of the war
A
- Political: The bad relationship between Saddam Hussein and Khomeini pushed the Iranian leadership to engage in an external war to show the international community that it had the power to do so.
- Religious: Islamic revolution in Iran believed in exporting the revolution to other countries. Iraq’s majority population is Shiite and Iran wanted to influence them to rebel against Saddam Hussein who was Sunni
- Khomeini insulted Saddam Hussein by saying that his regime is ‘‘anti-Islamic’’. Saddam Hussein was the leader of a socialist party that was mainly secular and the religious leadership of Iran was against communist values
10
Q
The immediate cause of the war
A
- Iraq accused Iran of trying to assassinate Tariq Aziz, the minister of Foreign affairs and the bombing of a funeral in Iraq. Both countries cut off diplomatic ties.
- Attack started from the side of Iraq and invaded what it claimed was Iraqi territory
11
Q
The Iran-Iraq War
A
- Iraq invaded Iran in 1980 as Hussein becomes convinced that Iran will invade Iraq in the near future
- From 1980 to 1988 Iran and Iraq were engaged in a brutal war which hundreds of thousands if not millions were killed
12
Q
The Soviet Union’s role in the Iran-Iraq war
A
- The Soviet Union clearly supported Iraq during the war by selling it different kinds of weapons
- The reasons the Soviet supported the Iraqis are;
- Iraq was ruled by a socialist party
- Iraq was part of the Soviet camp that resisted US camp in the Middle East
- Iraq was also an oil rich country and the Soviet Union benefitted from massive arms sale to the Iraqi army
13
Q
The US role in the Iran-Iraq war
A
- The official U.S. position was neutrality- U.S. had no official diplomatic relations with either country
- However, it was concerned that if Iran defeats Iraq, it will be close to vital oil sources in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
- The CIA provided Iraq with satellite images about areas of Iranian troops. The US also provided military equipment to Iraq through third parties like Jordan and Saudi Arabia
14
Q
Iran-Contra affair
A
- A political scandal that took place during the second term of Reagan
- American officials secretly facilitated arms to Iran although there was an arms embargo on Iran
- The American government justified its actions that they were part of negotiations with the Iranians in order to free American hostages held by Hezbollah in Lebanon
15
Q
What were the reasons that made the US sell arms to Iran despite publicly announcing an arms embargo
A
- It is most probable that the US did not want Iraq to win the war against Iran
- The US was aware that the Iranian regime was struggling during its war with Iraq so it wanted to make allies inside the regime in order to prevent the Soviet Union from doing that
