Iranian court hears first case of 1953 coup planned by the CIA

The first trial took place on Sunday, coinciding with the 71st anniversary of the coup, in the 55th Branch of the Tehran Provincial Court for International Affairs.

According to IRNA's judicial reporter, the court session presided over by Judge Majid Hosseinzadeh focused on the lawsuit filed by some 402,000 Iranians against six American individuals and entities, including the US government, the US State Department, the US Federal Reserve, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the US Treasury Department, the US House of Representatives and the Federal Reserve.

The petition contains 13 main paragraphs referring to the damage caused by the coup, including the plundering of Iranian oil and the 25-year tyrannical rule of the Pahlavi regime over the Iranian land.

“This court has jurisdiction to hear this case on the basis of numerous laws,” the judge said at the beginning of the session, referring to various national laws as well as the United Nations Charter.

The plaintiffs' lawyer, Shami Aghdam, said the documents clearly showed that the CIA, with the help of the British intelligence agency MI6, orchestrated the coup on August 19, 1953, using its internal and external agents against the legitimate Iranian government under Mossadegh.

Washington and London have violated international principles and rules to maintain their influence and power in the government, secure their interests and plunder the country's property, the lawyer stressed.

The 1953 coup triggered a series of events, including riots in Tehran, which led to the overthrow and arrest of Prime Minister Mossadegh. Mossadegh had gained popularity by nationalizing the country's oil industry and freeing it from British control.

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