British Media on Iran

Editorials | Newspaper Articles | Cartoons


The Mossadegh Project     
[Updated April 10, 2025]                                                


“Britain and the United States are jointly concerned at the possible loss of the oil, and jointly interested in the possible repercussion of events in Persia on the neighboring oil-bearing countries.”


Compiled, transcribed and introduced by Arash Norouzi



With a majority share in the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, Great Britain had a major stake in the oil nationalization movement in Iran, and the dispute soon became a key factor in the 1951 election. This 1950’s media archive features British newspaper and magazine articles, editorials, columns, letters, and political cartoons from the Mossadegh era.





British Media

The Birmingham Daily Gazette

Warwickshire, England (Newspaper)


June 19, 1951 — Reply To Persia

August 16, 1951 — The Criticism

September 7, 1951 — Reply To Persia

September 11, 1951 — The Biter Bit

March 3, 1953 — The Gamble

August 20, 1953 — Hope For Persia

Blackwood’s Magazine

Soho, London, England (Magazine)


August 1951 — Persia Today (by Tom Atty)

The Bolton Evening News

Bolton, England (Newspaper)


October 8, 1951 — In A Persian Mystery

The Bradford Observer

Yorkshire, England (Newspaper)


May 14, 1951 — The Triumph Of Terrorism

June 28, 1951 — Reasons Why We Must Not Evacuate Abadan

July 25, 1951 — Persia’s Way

August 16, 1951 — Too Many Gifts?

September 11, 1951 — Biter Gets Bit

September 27, 1951 — United On Persia

October 30, 1951 — Return To Persia

June 9, 1952 — The Law and Dr. Mossadek

June 9, 1952 — Worth Having

July 23, 1952 — The Hague Decision

August 5, 1952 — Slippery Paths

August 8, 1952 — Rescue for Mossadek

September 26, 1952 — A Nice Ten Days

October 17, 1952 — Dr. Mossadek’s Dilemma

December 19, 1952 — On The Right Side

January 27, 1953 — Pillow Fighting

August 20, 1953 — If Shah Is Right

August 20, 1953 — New Hope In Persia

Daily Express

London, England (Newspaper)


October 9, 1952 — Mossadeg willing to talk for £20,000,000

The Daily Herald

London, England (Newspaper)


July 21, 1952 — The Strongman Is Back

September 1, 1952 — Crisis In Persia

October 17, 1952 — Mossadegh’s Folly

August 21, 1953 — Let the Oil Flow Again

The Daily Mail

Hull, England (Newspaper)


August 20, 1953 — Exit Mossadeq

The Daily Telegraph and Morning Post

London, England (Newspaper)


April 30, 1951 — Persian Dilemma

August 20, 1953 — Revolution In Persia

The Economist

Magazine


May 5, 1951 — Persia’s Road to Ruin

July 25, 1953 — Dr. Mossadegh Sees It Through

The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Huddersfield, England (Newspaper)


October 8, 1951 — Persia

Illustrated

London, England (Magazine)


June 9, 1951 — Behind the Face of Persia

London News Service

London, England (News Agency)


October 22, 1952 — They Wanted To Use Force In Persia (Ian Colvin)

The Manchester Guardian

Manchester, England (Newspaper)


April 30, 1951 — Troubled Oil

May 16, 1951 — Persia

June 5, 1951 — Principles and Oil

June 21, 1951 — Persian Folly

June 22, 1951 — Parliament and Persia

June 30, 1951 — Prospects in Persia

July 2, 1951 — With a “V” or a “W”?

October 6, 1951 — Persian Questions

October 29, 1951 — “Mossy for Rector”

July 23, 1952 — Persia

August 18, 1953 — A Coup that Failed

August 20, 1953 — Persia

The New Statesman and Nation

London, England (Weekly)


Correspondence

April 3, 1954 — Persian Democrats


The Nottingham Journal

Nottinghamshire, England (Newspaper)


August 20, 1953 — Persia’s Hope

Picture Post

London, England (Weekly Magazine)


July 14, 1951 — Oil: the World Court

July 21, 1951 — Blood in the Oil

September 1, 1951 — Oil Crisis: As the World Sees It

August 9, 1952 — Middle East Cauldron

September 5, 1953 — All Change In Teheran

December 5, 1953 — FALL OF AN ENEMY OF BRITAIN — Patriot? Fanatic? Catspaw? Clown? — Which is the real Mossadeq?

The Spectator

London, England (Magazine)


October 12, 1951 | Moussadekism

November 16, 1951 | Dr. Moussadek’s Odyssey

February 22, 1952 | Cross Purposes in Tehran

October 2, 1952 | Moussadek Waits

March 6, 1953 | Moussadek Winning

August 12, 1954 | A Happy Event

August 15, 1954 | The Road to Abadan

November 5, 1954 | Persian Oil Flows Again

July 8, 1960 | Caribbean Mossadeq

The Tablet

London, England (Newsweekly)


May 19, 1951 — A Principle in Persia

The Times

London, England (Newspaper)


May 17, 1951 — The Persian Muddle

British Journalists


May 3, 1951 — Persia’s Oil Grab Will Hurt Us — Her, Too | Aubrey Thomas


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Related links:

Canadian Media Archive on Iran: 1951-1954

Australian Media Archive on Iran: 1951-1954

United States of America | media archive

President Harry Truman | media and editorial archive

THE KOREAN WAR | Vintage Media and Editorial Archive



MOSSADEGH t-shirts — “If I sit silently, I have sinned”

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