The Nojeh coup (also spelled Nožeh; Persian: کودتای نوژه) was an attempt to overthrow the newly established Islamic Republic of Iran, and the government of Abolhassan Banisadr and Ayatollah Khomeini that occurred on July 11, 1980. It was staged by officers and servicemen from the infantry, air force, army and secret service under the leadership of the former imperial prime minister, Shapour Bakhtiar, who had been operating from Paris since Khomeini took power in Iran.[1]
Contents |
The United States of America were also involved in the plan, with Zbigniew Brzezinski, the national security advisor to the Carter Administration from 1977 to 1981, meeting regularly with all the parties involved.
Saddam Hussein was interested in the coup, despite opposing Islamic fundamentalism, as a response to attempts of the Iranian government to stir up Shi'a opposition against Saddam's Ba'ath party and the attempted assassination of Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz at Mustansiriya University which resulted in the death of 11 Iraqi students.
There is speculation in some reports that the financing for the coup came from Iraq and Saddam Hussein's regime. However, this article also alludes to the idea that the Iraqi government alerted the Iranian leaders to the attempted coup. In doing so many of the best pilots and military commanders in Iran were taken out of service, thereby weakening the Iranian forces before the Iraqi invasion two months later.