To the editor: Thank you, columnist LZ Granderson, for the history lesson on Iran (“Reliving a colonial, exploitative history in Venezuela and Iran,” March 7), some of which I knew, some of which I didn’t. I knew the U.S. helped overthrow Iran’s democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, in 1953. I did not know it was due to oil company greed; they were unwilling to split the profits 50-50 with Iran (which Mossadegh wanted) even though oil companies had already agreed to a 50-50 split with Saudi Arabia.
The larger point the column illustrates is the importance of historical context for understanding current events. The Iranians’ takeover of the American Embassy in 1979 is easier to understand if you know that, in 1953, the U.S. removed their prime minister to install a monarch subservient to the U.S. Likewise, President Trump’s withdrawal in 2018 from an agreement President Obama negotiated with Iran is what limited U.N. inspections that could have prevented dangerous Iranian nuclear developments. In other words, if Trump had not withdrawn from that agreement eight years ago, there might not be any need to attack Iran now to prevent an Iranian nuclear threat.
Trump seems to believe that his current military attack will “solve” the Iranian problem. But the effects of Trump’s attack will certainly not end when he decides to stop the bombing. U.S.-Iran history suggests we will be living with negative consequences of the current U.S. attack for years or even decades to come.
Drew Davis, Redondo Beach
