Analyse
The quote aligns with Mosaddegh’s defiant rhetoric during the Abadan Crisis, when Britain imposed sanctions after Iran nationalized its oil industry. His speeches frequently invoked national resilience, including references to hardship and sacrifice, as documented in primary sources like his collected works (*'Mosaddegh: Memoirs and Speeches'*) and secondary histories (e.g., Kinzer’s *All the Shah’s Men*). The phrasing matches Persian-language records translated into English by scholars like Homa Katouzian. No credible sources dispute the attribution, though minor variations in translation exist (e.g., 'death' vs. 'destruction').
Achtergrond
In 1951, Iran’s parliament (Majlis) nationalized the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), leading Britain to impose crippling sanctions, blockade Iranian oil exports, and freeze assets. Mosaddegh, Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister, framed the conflict as a struggle for sovereignty, rallying public support despite economic hardship. His government fell in 1953 after a UK-US orchestrated coup (*Operation Ajax*), but his speeches from 1951–53 remain central to Iranian political memory.
Samenvatting verdict
Mohammad Mosaddegh did make this statement in 1952 during Iran’s oil nationalization crisis, as corroborated by multiple historical accounts and his speeches.