Royal authority expands after the Shah’s return

Tanks and armed crowds assaulted the prime minister’s home. Mosaddegh escaped temporarily before surrendering to the new authorities.

Zahedi emerged as head of government under the Shah’s decree, reversing the defeat of the first coup attempt four days earlier.

The overthrow removed the government that had nationalized the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Revolutionary supporters later linked political independence to control over oil resources.

Knowledge of American and British involvement became a central part of revolutionary political memory and distrust of the United States.

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi returned from exile with his position strengthened by the army and Western support.

A military court sentenced the former prime minister to three years in solitary confinement. He later remained under house arrest until his death.

The conviction symbolized the closure of the constitutional-nationalist path associated with Mosaddegh and the repression of organized opposition.

The agreement restored foreign companies to Iran’s oil industry through a consortium, although formal ownership remained Iranian. Critics viewed it as a retreat from genuine national control.

British, American, Dutch and French firms received shares in the consortium that marketed Iranian oil after the coup.

Opponents argued that the consortium showed how political dependency limited the meaning of formal nationalization.