Evening star., 1953-08-20
The Ironion WhirIwind

Mohammed Mossadegh has finally reaped
the whirlwind that he has been cultivating so
diligently in Iran for the past two years. In
less than IL hours of swift and organized re-
volt an army clique that has been pro-WeStern
and tolerantly loyal to the royal family of Shah
Reza Pahlevi has swept the aged Premier and
his National Front Party out of their place of
despotic power and proclaimed new deal and
a new government for the harassed country.
1t is early yet to exercise final judgment
on what this development of violence will mean
to Iran and to the course of the East-West cold
war in which Iran has become both prize
and battle-ground. It appears safe to assume,
however, that it will mark turn for the better
interests Of Iran and Of the West, and solid
setback for Communist forces which had
seemed so close to capturing" the Mossadegh
regime. Driven from one economic and polit-
ical extreme to another by his own stubborn
unwillngneSS to accept any reasonable compro-
mise settlement of the two-year controversy
with Britain over naturalization of the Iranian
oil industry, DR.. Mossadegh had gambled dam
gerously in his recent collaboration with the
Communist Tudeh Party and had frted omn-
ously with offers for Soviet-Iranian rap
prochement. There were indications during
the past week end that showdown was ap-
preaching on whether Dr. Mossadegh would be
secure. An initial effort then to place General
Zahedi at the head Of the government was sup
pressed by -Mossadegh forces and the Shah
fled the country while the general went into
hiding. Seemingly the failure of the Mossadegh
supporters to find the army leader gave him the
time and opportunity to organize the coup
which has followed since.
That the army as a force and General
Zahedi as an individual should be the inStru-
mentalitieS for overturning DR.. MoSSadegh and
averting the latest serious Russian Communist
threat to the country is not surprising. Prob
ably the most stable, and most pro- Western, of
Iranian governments in the postwar period was
that of General Ali Razmara, former army chief
of staff, in 1850 and 1851 Contract troubles
with the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company were
under negotiation during the Razmara regime
and had, in fact, been settled but not so an
nounced when he was assaSSinated. The oil
naturalization law and the deadlock which has
resulted in a complete shutdown of the industry
and virtual impoverishment of the country
have followed under the National Front admin
istration. But it was the army that thwarted
Dr. Mossadegh last spring when he was on the
verge of driving the Shah from the country
and, despite his arrest then of several high
ranking officers, he had never been able to
establish his full control over the military
AS for General Zahedi, he served as Min
lister of Interior during the oil naturalization
procedure but broke with DR.. Mossadegh later
and was even under brief arrest at one time
last winter. His loyalty to the Pahlevi family
goes back to his early military days-the first
Shah Reza PahleW was an army officer who
took over the government in 192O-and Zahedi
was one Of the young officers given favored
treatment at that time. While he was charged
with being anti-British in World War II, he
has made a more open and consistent record
Of being anti-Russian
Among the Middle East countries, Egypt
Syria and Iraq all have found political stability
within the past two years from assumption of
power by the army. 1t is to be hoped that the
same pattern will prevail in Iran.