{"id":26783,"date":"2026-03-03T13:28:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T21:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=26783"},"modified":"2026-03-03T13:32:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T21:32:06","slug":"cia-agents-successfully-executed-regime-change-plan-in-1953-iran-but-trump-hasnt-revealed-signs-of-a-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/cia-agents-successfully-executed-regime-change-plan-in-1953-iran-but-trump-hasnt-revealed-signs-of-a-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"CIA agents successfully executed a plan for regime change in Iran in 1953 \u2013 but Trump hasn\u2019t revealed any signs of a\u00a0plan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/treverton-iran-top-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/treverton-iran-top-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/treverton-iran-top-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/treverton-iran-top-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"U.S. flag waves in front of Iranian flag\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  The roots of tension between the United States and Iran that led to the current military conflict date back decades. (Image source: iStock.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=politics\">Politics<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>CIA agents successfully executed a plan for regime change in Iran in 1953 \u2013 but Trump hasn\u2019t revealed any signs of a\u00a0plan<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  A covert U.S. campaign in the mid-20th century helped steer Iran toward the intense anti-American sentiment that has distinguished its government policy for decades.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Gregory F. Treverton<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">March 3, 2026<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 0 1.5167124.60096154 2.9475732 1.68841575 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>When the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/topics\/us-iran-war-185267\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bombing of Iran<\/a> began on Feb. 28, 2026, the Trump administration had not informed the American people exactly what it was prepared to achieve.<\/p>\n<p>Was the attack intended to degrade Iran\u2019s nuclear program? Trump had declared that \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/iran\/trump-said-obliterated-irans-nuclear-program-now-says-us-may-bomb-iran-rcna260383\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">obliterated<\/a>\u201d after last June\u2019s bombing.<\/p>\n<p>Was it to slow Iran\u2019s ballistic missile program? U.S. intelligence assesses that Iran is years away from any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/middle-east\/trumps-case-for-war-with-iran-faces-growing-scrutiny-96648cb9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ballistic missile that could strike the United States<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Was it to show support for Iran\u2019s opposition, as Trump\u2019s earlier \u201cHELP IS ON ITS WAY\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/china\/iranian-mp-warns-greater-unrest-urging-government-address-grievances-2026-01-13\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posts on Truth Social<\/a> suggested? A bombing campaign that was bound to kill innocent Iranians, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/01\/world\/middleeast\/girls-school-strike-iran-video.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">175 people at a girls elementary school<\/a> near a military base, seemed an odd form of support.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/spatial.usc.edu\/?team=gregory-f-treverton\">I am a scholar<\/a> and former practitioner of intelligence and national security policy in the White House. I believe there are lessons in effecting political change in Iran that can be taken, ironically, from the very U.S.- and British-led clandestine campaign in the mid-20th century that set Iran on the road to the intense anti-Western and anti-American sentiment that has characterized its government policy for decades.<\/p>\n<h2>How does this end?<\/h2>\n<p>President Trump has said he wants <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2026\/02\/28\/trump-iran-war-regime-change-freedom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">regime change in Iran<\/a> but has articulated no strategy for achieving that end.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26785\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26785\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-26785\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/treverton-iran-mossadegh-1953-500x543.jpg\" alt=\"Former Iranian dictator Mohammed Mossadegh is escorted to a Tehran court in 1953\" width=\"500\" height=\"543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/treverton-iran-mossadegh-1953-500x543.jpg 500w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/treverton-iran-mossadegh-1953-942x1024.jpg 942w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/treverton-iran-mossadegh-1953-768x835.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/treverton-iran-mossadegh-1953.jpg 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26785\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former Iranian dictator Mohammed Mossadegh is escorted to a Tehran court on Nov. 8, 1953, where he was tried as a traitor. (Image source: Wikimedia Commons.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Strategy is the connection between means and ends. For waging a war, it means asking whether the military means available match the desired military outcome. In trying to effect political change, it means asking whether the instruments employed will produce the desired change.<\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2026\/02\/27\/iran-regime-change-consequences-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">journalist Fareed Zakaria put it<\/a>, \u201c\u2018Bomb and hope\u2019 is not a strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Looking at the last U.S. effort at regime change in Iran \u2014 the <a href=\"https:\/\/nsarchive2.gwu.edu\/NSAEBB\/NSAEBB435\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CIA\u2019s 1953 covert program<\/a> to oust <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions\/support-for-the-overthrow-of-iranian-prime-minister-mohammad-mosaddegh\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh<\/a> and strengthen <a href=\"https:\/\/web.stanford.edu\/class\/e297c\/war_peace\/middleeast\/hiranianrev.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi\u2019s rule<\/a> \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abebooks.com\/9781850430896\/Covert-Action-CIA-Limits-American-1850430896\/plp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">offers insight into what might have been<\/a> \u2026 and what still might be this time around in Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Mossadegh had moved to nationalize <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebsco.com\/research-starters\/history\/iran-nationalizes-its-oil-industry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company<\/a> \u2014 effectively, British oil interests. Britain responded with an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions\/support-for-the-overthrow-of-iranian-prime-minister-mohammad-mosaddegh\/\">an oil embargo<\/a> and a severe economic squeeze on Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Western powers feared that prolonged Iranian instability could open the door to <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/9781108946278.005\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Soviet influence in the oil-rich country<\/a> \u2014 a central Cold War concern.<\/p>\n<p>By early 1953 the U.S. government, under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2018\/08\/19\/eisenhower-green-lights-coup-in-iran-aug-19-1953-788012\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">authorized the CIA to prepare a covert plan<\/a> to remove Mossadegh and restore effective power to the shah, who at the time held a more ceremonial role. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2020\/8\/18\/uks-lead-role-in-1953-iran-coup-detat-exposed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">British intelligence had been pushing<\/a> a similar agenda, and the two services collaborated on both the strategy and its implementation.<\/p>\n<p>The operational details, especially those <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eBxbyjjOUfI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">declassified in recent decades<\/a>, paint a striking picture of a carefully planned <a href=\"https:\/\/nsarchive2.gwu.edu\/NSAEBB\/NSAEBB476\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">clandestine political intervention<\/a> that was successful, rather than a simple military invasion.<\/p>\n<h2>A far cry from \u2018bomb and hope\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The British-American budget for the joint plan was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.merip.org\/2000\/09\/the-cia-looks-back-at-the-1953-coup-in-iran\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">modest by military standards<\/a>. It was aimed at <a href=\"https:\/\/nsarchive2.gwu.edu\/NSAEBB\/NSAEBB28\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">propaganda and influence operations<\/a>, and it sought to shape public perception and political support.<\/p>\n<p>It was composed of three elements. First <a href=\"https:\/\/nsarchive2.gwu.edu\/NSAEBB\/NSAEBB28\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">it funded newspapers and printed propaganda<\/a> designed to discredit Mossadegh, portraying him as corrupt or sympathetic to communism. The propaganda also promoted fears of instability and communist infiltration.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26786\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26786\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-26786\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/treverton-iran-tank-1953-500x336.jpg\" alt=\"Black-and-white photo of Iranian citizens standing around and on a tank\" width=\"500\" height=\"336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/treverton-iran-tank-1953-500x336.jpg 500w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/treverton-iran-tank-1953-768x516.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/treverton-iran-tank-1953.jpg 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26786\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iranian citizens gather around a tank in Tehran, 1953. (Image source: Wikimedia Commons.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Second, <a href=\"https:\/\/nsarchive2.gwu.edu\/NSAEBB\/NSAEBB28\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to declassified histories<\/a>, agents staged \u201cfalse flag\u201d incidents \u2014 attacks attributed to communists, for example \u2014 to stoke fear and backlash against Mossadegh among religious and conservative groups.<\/p>\n<p>Third, the coup planners attempted to engage <a href=\"https:\/\/nsarchive2.gwu.edu\/NSAEBB\/NSAEBB28\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">influential clerical leaders<\/a> and organizations to amplify anti-Mossadegh sentiment.<\/p>\n<p>Shaping the crowds on Tehran\u2019s streets proved critical to the operation. The CIA organized demonstrators to pose as pro-shah protesters, including paying individuals to chant slogans and confront Mossadegh supporters.<\/p>\n<p>These orchestrated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2019\/01\/31\/690363402\/how-the-cia-overthrew-irans-democracy-in-four-days\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">demonstrations climaxed on Aug. 19, 1953<\/a>, when pro-shah forces and sympathetic leaders in the Iranian military \u2013 with CIA financial and logistical backing \u2013 seized key points of the country, confronted Mossadegh loyalists and helped topple his government. Estimates suggest around 200 to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/1953-coup-in-Iran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">300 people were killed<\/a> in the chaotic fighting in Tehran.<\/p>\n<h2>What might have been, and what might be<\/h2>\n<p>The Mossadegh coup occurred in a less transparent world. However \u2014 and regardless of how you feel about it \u2014 the coup suggests the value of having a strategy to accomplish political change and, beyond Israel, bringing allies along if possible.<\/p>\n<p>So far, Trump has called for the Iranian military and the Revolutionary Guard to <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/5763127-trump-us-military-iran-operations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lay down their arms<\/a>. But the Trump administration has provided no guidance on how to do so, or to whom to do so.<\/p>\n<p>Surely, the administration should be able to devise a plan for potential political change in Iran. It has insight from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/world\/a-timeline-of-tensions-over-irans-nuclear-program-as-talks-with-u-s-approach\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">years it has spent negotiating a nuclear deal<\/a> with Iran. Recent events suggest the extent of Israeli, if not American, penetration of Iran.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, for instance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/04\/30\/world\/middleeast\/israel-iran-nuclear-netanyahu.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Israel\u2019s Mossad national intelligence agency<\/a> broke into an Iranian facility and stole archives on Iran\u2019s nuclear activities, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foreignaffairs.com\/united-states\/spy-vs-ai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">55,000 pages and another 55,000 files<\/a> stored on CDs.<\/p>\n<p>In June 2025, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/jun\/14\/drone-op-claims-show-israel-mossad-leaning-in-to-its-legend\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Israel conducted covert drone operations<\/a> deep inside Iran, in concert with airstrikes on Iranian missile and military infrastructure. Mossad reportedly established an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/jun\/14\/drone-op-claims-show-israel-mossad-leaning-in-to-its-legend\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">undercover drone network<\/a> and launched explosive drones to neutralize air defenses and missile launchers before the main attack.<\/p>\n<p>The successful <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/ayatollah-ali-khameneis-killing-plays-into-shiite-islams-reverence-for-martyrs-but-not-for-all-iranians-277207\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">targeting of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/a> and his close associates in the latest round of airstrikes suggests the extent of likely Israeli monitoring of Iranian communications by Mossad and the CIA.<\/p>\n<p>Crises tend to put pressure on governments to open communications channels, and the take from any successful eavesdropping might be passed to opposition groups to help them organize and avoid capture.<\/p>\n<p>If Israel can smuggle explosive drones into Iran, it should be able to make <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c0r4veg0rrzo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the satellite internet provider Starlink<\/a> and its kin available to enable the opposition to better \u2014 and more safely \u2014 organize.<\/p>\n<p>It is late in the day to emulate the Mossadegh coup with information operations, and it is probably more difficult in an era of ubiquitous social media, not newspapers. But it\u2019s not too late to try.<\/p>\n<p>I believe those brave opposition elements in Iran, who have been killed by their government and bombed by the United States and Israel, deserve no less.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/277202\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/gregory-f-treverton-392037\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gregory F. Treverton<\/a>, Professor Emeritus of the Practice of <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/poir\/\">International Relations<\/a>, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/usc-dornsife-college-of-letters-arts-and-sciences-2669\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/cia-agents-successfully-executed-a-plan-for-regime-change-in-iran-in-1953-but-trump-hasnt-revealed-any-signs-of-a-plan-277202\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Stories\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/alumnus-george-stiffman-wants-you-to-rethink-tofu\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Alumnus George Stiffman wants you to rethink tofu<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/computational-linguistics-student-finds-love-of-language-and-ai-safety-at-usc-dornsife\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Love of language and community \u2014 and AI safety \u2014 fuel graduating senior\u2019s USC Dornsife experience<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/dad-brain-is-real-its-reshaping-our-understanding-of-fatherhood\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >\u2018Dad brain\u2019 is real. It\u2019s reshaping our understanding of fatherhood.\u00a0<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A covert U.S. campaign in the mid-20th century helped steer Iran toward the intense anti-American sentiment that has distinguished its government policy for decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":26787,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[87,119,83],"class_list":["post-26783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-expert-viewpoint","tag-political-science-and-international-relations","tag-the-conversation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>CIA 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