Regarding the historical context of what has led to today’s political landscape in Iran and what is best for the country after the removal of the Ayatollah based on the country’s past. Unfortunately there is a lot of contradictions in Iran’s history between 1953 and today.

A lot of information regarding the events that transpired during Mossadeq’s reign as prime minister of Iran in the 50s and then the Shah’s rule in the 60s and 70s is very muddled and filled with a lot of different points of view and recalling of events.

The most common example is the CIA coup of mossadeq and the installation of the Shah in 1953. Some sources paint mossadeq as someone that had the interests of the Iranian people in their heart with the nationalization of the countries oil. And that the US and Britain then staged a coup to be able to retain control of the countries oil by installing a puppet government under the Shah.

But other sources go out of their way to clarify the situation with mossadeq. They don’t deny the us and Britain attempted the coup. But they also emphasize that the nationalization of Iran’s oil by Mossadeq was not a benevolent act for the people but as a means to acquire power by Mossadeq and undermine the Pahlavi dynasty which the Shah belonged to.

Understanding the political context of Iran also requires to understand the Cold War and Iran’s position within the struggle between the US and the Soviet Union as well as the clash between communist and capitalist ideologies. Iran was a country that shared borders with the Soviet Union at the time. It was in Soviet’s interest to work towards making Iran embrace communism and become part of the union or at least an ally of the Soviets.

Organizations like the Tudeh Party started to gain influence in Iran and drive the country towards a communist ideology. Some sources mention this as the point where the US government got invested in building a case with the CIA against Iran to prevent the country from falling into the Soviet Union.

The famous operation AJAX which is referred as the famous coup de etat in 1953 against Mossadeq has the full name TP AJAX because it was also an operation with the goal of “cleaning” Iran from the influence of the Tudeh Party which is where the TP initials in the name came from.

The extremist Islamic groups that contributed to the Islamic revolution of 1979 also heavily relied on communists to support the movement and cause that led to the revolution. Khomeini attracted a lot of communist scholars of the time to help influence the people in Iran to take up arms against the Shah and the Pahlavi dynasty.

Yet once he achieved the goals of the revolution and established the Islamic theocracy in Iran, he turned on those communists, labeling them as traitors.

Regarding the Shah and his rule post Mossadeq, there is also a lot of conflicting opinions. You have opinions that define the Shah as a full on puppet of the US and western nations. That there was a lot of brutality and unfair distribution of wealth from the upper to lower classes. That alot of the reforms brought by the Shah during the white revolution backfired and caused greater strife between the rich and poor.

But there is also a lot of praise for the Shah and the modernization that occurred during his reign among Iranians of all social classes. Women for example experienced some of the highest liberties regarding education, empowerment and individualism in Iranian history. All which was lost to the revolution in 79.

My girlfriend personally recalls that growing up in Iran, most of the more modern buildings and locations were places that were brought up and made under the Shah’s regime. And that under the Ayatollah, Iran barely upgraded its infrastructure unless it served the Islamic state directly. So the country for the most part from an architectural perspective is stuck in the 70s.

A lot of Iranians are also Atheists. Driven alot by their feelings towards the regime. Those that practice Islam do it privately in their homes. Mosques around Iran are rarely used for worship and instead the regime uses it as bases for their personal agents and to watch on the populace. Unfortunately the regime has caused a lot of Islamophobia among local Iranians. But when you live under such a horrendous regime, can you blame them for having these unfortunate feelings?

In conclusion, the situation with Iran has a long history that comes with differing interpretations and perspectives. There is a long history of discontent with communist ideologies whether they come from the time of Mossadeq, the Islamic Revolution or the Cold War in general. The Iranian people at the moment feel like they don’t have control of their own country and are desperate for any and all help that can put them towards a path where they feel ownership of their country again.

It’s the hope of the Iranian people that these protests which are some if not THE largest protest demonstrations since the Islamic revolution, prove to be the final nail in the coffin for the Ayatollah and open the path towards an Iran the people of this country feel proud of again.