The Pahlavis were usurpers, who came to power in a coup. And they also stole the Khuzestan oil fields from the Arabic-speaking Akhwazi. When the Ayatollah deposed the Shah, he did nothing to restore the rights of the Akhwazi. Oil is oil, and they continue to pump it out of the ground and use it for their own nefarious purposes, and oppress the Akhwazi.
I believe they probably had help from the U. S. The issue for
me is, were they favorable to the U. S., and they were.
I’ll take them vs an Islamic Caliphate any day.
Not only were they favorable to the U. S., but they weren’t
a rabid mad-dog type Middle-Eastern enterprise.
They ruled rather decently toward their people, and within
reason they were pretty moderate. Yes, there were some
political prisoners, but there were a few thousand and we
know how difficult that is with uprisings all the time in
the region.