Nation of Iran Celebrates 33 years of Independence and Self-Determination

[RZM]

60. Yes I'm aware of that. Are you aware of how Mohammed Reza became Shah in the first place?

Two months after Operation Barbarossa in the summer of 1941, the British and the Soviets jointly invaded and occupied Iran. The ostensible reason was Iran's refusal to expel the small German population living there (the Shah was very pro-German - Nazi Germany was Iran's largest trading partner). But a big reason was also the desire to open a secure supply line to the USSR using an ice-free port. Iran didn't put up much of a fight and the Shah's government collapsed. His young son (Mohammed Reza) was allowed to take the throne in his father's stead and he ruled until 1979.

The British left according to an agreed-upon timetable after the war, but initially the Soviets refused to do so. They finally did with a promise of an Iranian oil concession, which the Iranian parliament promptly reneged on in a near-unanimous vote.

So you might as well date it to 1941 and not 1953. You hear a lot about Operation Ajax here on DU, but a lot less about the 5 year long foreign occupation during WWII that put Mohammed Reza on the throne in the first place.

I'll repeat my question. Is North Korea not sovereign? Without Chinese intervention in the Korean War it probably wouldn't exist today. Ever since then China has exerted strong influence in the country. Would you argue that North Korea is not sovereign?