alternatehistory.com

Mohammad Mossaddeq was the Prime Minister of Iran who in 1953 was overthrown in a CIA-sponsored coup, setting in motion the chain of events which led to the Iranian Revolution of 1979. But Mossaddeq was actually quite pro-American, and America had earlier, at least tacitly, supported him in his dispute with the British over the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry.

From here...

The government of the United Kingdom had grown increasingly distressed over Mosaddeq's policies and were especially bitter over the loss of their control of the Iranian oil industry. Repeated attempts to reach a settlement had failed.

Unable to resolve the issue single handedly due to its post-World War II problems, Britain looked towards the United States to settle the issue. Initially America had opposed British policies. After American mediation had failed several times to bring about a settlement, American Secretary of State Dean Acheson concluded that the British were "destructive and determined on a rule or ruin policy in Iran." By early 1953, however, Dwight D. Eisenhower won the presidential election in the United States and a change in US policy toward Iran ensued.

Eisenhower was persuaded by Winston Churchill that Mossaddeq was turning toward communism, and Eisenhower decided to assist the British in overthrowing him. But what if Churchill's effort had failed, or Eisenhower had not been elected, and previous American policy had been continued?
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