The Rest Is Classified 138. Trump vs Iran: The Road to Operation Epic Fury (Ep 1)
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Mar 16, 2026 
Arash Azizi, historian and Yale academic known for books on modern Iran, gives a concise tour of the hidden history behind US–Iran tensions. He traces 1953 and the coup, the Shah’s rise, SAVAK’s repression, Khomeini’s ascent, and the events that set the stage for recent strikes. Short, sharp chapters unpack the political turning points that reshaped Iran and its relationship with the West.
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Coup Success Was Operationally Lucky
- The 1953 coup worked but was largely a fluke rather than a repeatable, robust method of regime change.
- Arash Azizi emphasizes coups can succeed operationally yet remain unpredictable and luck-driven in outcome.
Intelligence Built The Shah's Repressive Apparatus
- After 1953 the US and Israel helped build SAVAK and trained Iranian security forces to keep the Shah in power and suppress leftist movements.
- Mossad played a major role when CIA support was seen as insufficient by Iranian officers.
1970s Iran Was America’s Major Regional Partner
- In the 1970s Iran became the US's primary regional security partner, buying vast quantities of American arms and hosting signals infrastructure.
- The Shah spent billions on weapons to make Iran a regional power, not merely as a US puppet.
