Mossadegh Wins Smashing Vote of Confidence, 90-0

November 26, 1951 — The Associated Press


The Mossadegh Project | February 27, 2026                   


Majlis Accords Mossadegh Smashing Confidence Vote


AP (The Associated Press) TEHRAN, Iran Nov 25—(AP)— Premier Mohammed Mossadegh won a smashing vote of confidence, 90-0 today after a weeping appeal for support. It was his first visit to parliament since he returned from the United States.

The Majlis (lower house of parliament) obediently reversed its earlier decision to delay parliamentary elections until Dec. 18.

Opposition Leader Jamal Imami was threatened with death and nearly mobbed by demonstrators outside parliament for making a bitter speech against the old premier. Mossadegh was cheered hysterically. [Jamal Emami]

Mossadegh, in his table-pounding speech, flayed the British as usual, praised Americans in the cities he visited, and told the Majlis:

1. He wanted national elections to the Majlis immediately for a bold test of his oil nationalization regime among the people.

2. There would be no compromise with the British on the oil question and the 19,000,000 Iranians must tighten their belts and wage a battle of austerity with the British.

3. He failed to negotiate a settlement of the six-months-old oil dispute but Iranians must make a real effort to exploit and sell their oil.

4. Things look favorable for financial aid from the United States.

Mossadegh takes his program tomorrow to the Senate where political fireworks are generally lacking.

Fifteen Majlis members abstained on the vote of confidence, but Mossadegh had it almost entirely his own way. The only concession to the opposition was a 57-22 vote letting Imami speak against the premier. Imami took a half hour.

After the 3˝-hour session, Imami was beset by about 30 youths of Mossadegh’s National Front party who leaped on his car shouting “Death, Death”, and tried to overturn it.

The chauffeur stepped on the gas to scatter the demonstrators and sped Imami away. Police finished up with clubs.

About 500 National Fronters cheered the premier as he drove off. They shouted “Long Live Mossadegh” and “Death to foreign elements”.

In an atmosphere super heated with emotion whipped up by the public welcome a quarter-million Iranians gave Mossadegh Friday after his 47 days abroad, an old man threw himself under the Premier’s car and pulled out a big knife cut his throat in token of Oriental sacrifice. The old man was rescued and restrained by police.

The Premier wept only during his demand for immediate national elections; the rest of his speech was made in a firm voice.

The Majlis complied with Mossadegh’s request, dramatized with tears, to reverse its decision of October 15 to postpone the start of national elections from November 21 to December 18.

Mossadegh said he wanted the elections immediately — without specifying an exact date — because British inspired opposition leaders wanted plot for his defeat.

Deputy Premier Hossein Fatemi told a news conference later the government planned to start the elections within two or three days and that Mossadegh would announce the time over the national radio. The outlawed Communist Tudeh Party was reported placing candidates in the field under phoney party labels.

Imami told the Majlis the outlawed Tudeh (Communist) party would win the elections if they are held now and accused Mossadegh of having insulted members who had voted for the postponement. He also accused Mossadegh of welshing on a promise to the Majlis in May to postpone the elections if the oil crisis was unsolved. Imami predicted the nation would be bankrupt in a month or two unless United States aid arrives. They engaged in debate during which spectators shouted “traitor” at Imami.

The opposition had trained its campaign guns on the low state of Iran’s treasury. It is just about broke because it no longer gets royalties from the old Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, which was put out of business in Iran by Mossadegh’s popular oil nationalization program.

President Truman and the Western powers in the United Nations Security Council were unable to persuade Mossadegh in Washington and New York that Iran should renew oil negotiations with the British.

Mossadegh said his praise of Americans was especially for those in New York, Philadelphia and Washington whom he visited.

On the burning financial question he called attention to the U.S. $23,000,000 Point-Four aid program for Iran and the long pending $25,000,000 Export Import Bank which he said now was “fundamentally agreed upon.” He also mentioned his request to President Truman for a big U.S. Government loan and said it “now is under special consideration.”

Mossadegh’s National Front Party had only seven of the 136 Majlis seats when he was appointed premier last April to steer Iran through the oil nationalization crisis. But he has widespread support pegged on the oil issue alone.


Alternate headlines:

Mossadegh Excitedly Justified
Premier Mossadegh Handed Unanimous Vote of Confidence
MOSSADEGH WINS CRUSHING VOTE OF CONFIDENCE, 90-0
Mossadegh Is Given Vote of Confidence, Cheered




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Related links:

Thousands of Iranians Welcome Mossadegh Home | Nov. 26, 1951 (AP)

Warning From Iran | The Sacramento Union, Sept. 25, 1951

Mossadegh’s Policies Exposed to Poll Test | Dec. 1, 1951



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

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