The CIA/MI6 coup in 1953 (Operation Ajax) that overthrew Iran’s democratically elected PM Mosaddegh just because he nationalized oil. The West literally destroyed Iran’s secular democracy to protect British oil interests, then propped up the Shah as a dictator with a secret police (SAVAK). When you crush every secular opposition, don’t be surprised when the only resistance left is the religious clerics.
The 1979 revolution didn’t come out of nowhere.

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@dpye111
16 hours ago
The Mullahs were nowhere near being the largest faction in the Revolution, but the CIA-trained SAVAK secret police did a thorough job of suppressing any labor leader or political figure who might be a threat to the Shah. The only faction that remained intact on a national level were the Mullahs. They were able to leverage their superior organization skills into a leadership role. So, we can blame the CIA for the Islamist regime.