Ali Rahnema's work is a meticulous historical reconstruction of the Iranian coup d'état in 1953 that led to the overthrow of Mohammed Mosaddeq and his government. Mosaddeq's removal from power has probably attracted more attention than any other event occurring during his tenure because of the role of foreign involvement, the political, economic and social impact on Iran, and the long-term impact the ousting had on Iran-US relations. Drawing on American, British and Iranian sources, Rahnema closely examines the four-day period between the first failed coup and the second successful attempt, investigating in fine detail how the two coups were conceptualised, rationalised and executed by players on both the Anglo-American and Iranian sides. Through painstaking research into little-studied sources, Rahnema casts new light on how a small group of highly influential pro-Britain politicians and power brokers revisited the realities on the ground with the CIA operatives dispatched to Iran and how they recalibrated a new, and ultimately successful, operational plan.

'Ali Rahnema’s new book on the 1953 coup presents a comprehensive, balanced account of this seminal event. It is meticulously researched, carefully reasoned and engagingly written. It will stand as the definitive work on this subject for many years to come.'

Mark Gasiorowski - Tulane University, Louisiana

'Behind the 1953 Coup in Iran offers an in-depth and detailed examination of the events leading to the 1953 coup in Iran. By exploring a broad range of primary and archival sources it makes original contributions to current debates on the ouster of Mosaddeq.'

Ali Gheissari - University of San Diego

'This extraordinarily impressive study has moved the historiography of the most controversial event in modern Iranian history onto an altogether different plane. In a forensic analysis of four critical days, the actions and motives of the main perpetrators, including for the first time army officers, power brokers, and mobsters, are laid bare in compelling detail.'

John Gurney - Wadham College, Oxford

'Based on far-ranging Iranian, British, and American archival sources, Behind the 1953 Coup in Iran is an indispensable and fair-minded account of the clandestine operations that overthrew the legal government of Mohammed Mosaddeq. It studies Mosaddeq’s own ethical and economic dilemmas as well as the calculations of British and American intelligence agents. Not least it includes a clear chronological table, biographical notes and detailed maps, which will establish it as a work of reference. Above all, it assesses the consequences for the Iranian people and the way in which Mosaddeq’s fate has engaged generations of historians.'

Wm. Roger Louis - University of Texas