1) In 1953, the United States and United Kingdom orchestrated a coup to overthrow Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh after he nationalized Iran's oil industry. 2) The coup installed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as the autocratic ruler of Iran and was motivated by Western fears of communist influence and a desire to control Iran's oil reserves. 3) The coup had long-lasting negative consequences for the region, including the 1979 Iranian Revolution that overthrew the Shah and installed an anti-Western theocratic government led by Ayatollah Khomeini.