CIA Overthrew Democracy in 4 Days - Operation Ajax Explained

Added: 2026-05-21

[00:00:00]In 1953, the CIA toppled a democracy [music] in just 4 days. Their target, Iran's Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh.

[00:00:07][music] His crime, taking back his country's oil from the British. The operation was called Ajax [music] and it would haunt America for decades.

[00:00:16]Kermit Roosevelt Jr., [music] grandson of President Teddy Roosevelt, ran the show from the US Embassy in Tehran. He had just $1 million and a terrifying plan. Roosevelt paid mobs [music] to riot in the streets. He spread fake propaganda. He turned the military [music] against their own government.

[00:00:33]Within days, Mosaddegh was arrested. The brutal Shah took power. For 26 years, the [music] Shah's secret police, SAVAK, tortured and murdered thousands of Iranians.

[00:00:43]>> [music] >> They used techniques taught by the CIA.

[00:00:46]But the horror didn't end there. In 1979, furious Iranians [music] overthrew the Shah. They took 52 Americans hostage for 444 [music] days. Operation Ajax didn't just destroy Iranian democracy. It created an enemy that lasts [music] to this day and it gave the CIA a playbook for toppling governments worldwide.