TEHRAN – Iran’s Ambassador to London has said that the United Kingdom should offer a formal apology to the Iranian people for 1953 coup that overthrew the government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq.

“The UK’s role-along with US-in the coup d’etat overthrowing Iran’s elected government 67 years ago today, is indisputable,” Hamid Baeedinejad tweeted on Tuesday.

Baeedinejad added, “UK has never offered a formal apology to the people of Iran for its act of violent infringement against Iranian national sovereignty. Why? It’s high time.” 

In the coup d'état (known in Iran as the 28 Mordad coup), the democratically elected government of Iran led by Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq was overthrown on August 19, 1953.  The coup was orchestrated jointly by the United States, under the name “Pejak Project”, and the United Kingdom, under the name of “Operation Boot”.

The coup saw the formation of a military government under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who progressed from a constitutional monarch to an authoritarian one who relied heavily on United States' support to hold on to power until his own overthrow in February 1979.

In 1989, the U.S. State Department first released coup-related documents, but edited out any reference to American or British involvement. Since then, the omission of CIA’s role has been widely criticized by historians.

Finally, in 2013, the CIA publicly admitted for the first time that it was behind the coup. It also released documents that showed how the British government tried to block the release of information about its own involvement in overthrow of Mosaddegh.

NA/PA