00:00 In 1953, the US overthrew Iran's Democratic Prime Minister, setting the stage for the tense relationship between the two countries.

04:29 In 1953, American agents engineered a coup to overthrow Iran's Prime Minister, Mohammed Mossadegh, by buying off the Iranian press and spreading anti-Mossadegh propaganda.

08:49 In order to overthrow Mossadegh, the American agents recruited important mullahs, bribed the Shah's sister, and convinced the Shah that Mossadegh was a threat, ultimately leading to the failed coup attempt; the U.S. involvement was driven by Britain's interest in Iran's oil and the one-sided deal they had with the Iranian government.

12:30 Mohamed Mossadegh's efforts to negotiate a better oil deal with the British and his subsequent nationalization of Iran's oil led to the British seeking to remove him from power, and with the onset of the Cold War and the presence of a Communist Party in Iran, the US became convinced to support the British plan to overthrow Mossadegh.

16:27 Despite the failed coup attempt, Kermit Roosevelt was not willing to give up and had a plan B to remove Mossadeh from power, as the threat to Mossadeh was still very real.

21:04 Iran underwent a constitutional revolution in the early 20th century, which aimed to make the country more democratic and led to a united coalition against the Shahs, including an American missionary named Howard Baskerville who fought on the side of the constitutionalists.

24:48 Kermit Roosevelt's plan to overthrow Mossadegh involved hiring gangs of Iranians to cause chaos in the streets, leading to violent clashes and the eventual removal of Mossadegh from power.

29:27 The Shah ruled over Iran as a dictator for 25 years with the support of Western powers, who didn't care about his corruption because he provided easy access to Iran's oil, and during this time, he worked to erase any trace of Mossadegh's era, leading to Mossadegh becoming a symbol of Iran's lost potential and the CIA only officially acknowledging its role in the coup in 2013, 60 years later, while resentment against the Shah built up and eventually led to a revolution and the hostage crisis at the American embassy in 1979.

33:50 The narrative that the US intervention in 1953 was the sole cause of Iran's problems is incomplete, as Iran's clergy also played a significant role in undermining democracy and seizing power in 1979.