Amid Op Epic Fury, A Look At US Intelligence-Led Regime Change Operations

The United States, in a joint military operation with Israel, launched missiles at Iran on Saturday to topple the long-ruling Islamist government and trigger regime change.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was assassinated in the strikes along with several senior military and political officials. The Pentagon has named the campaign Operation Epic Fury.

According to defence briefings, the operation involved coordinated air and missile strikes on strategic government buildings, military headquarters, and high-security compounds believed to house senior leadership. The targeted missiles also hit a girls' school in Minab and killed over 150 children.

Iran has since retaliated, hitting key US military installations in the Gulf region.

Here are some of the US intelligence operations historically aimed at influencing or overturning foreign governments

Operation Ajax (Iran, 1953)

In 1953, the US and the UK backed a covert operation to remove Iran's elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, after he nationalised the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) worked alongside British intelligence to organise protests, influence political figures, and support elements within Iran's military. Estimates suggest that clashes during the coup in Tehran led to roughly 200-300 deaths.

The operation led to Mossadegh's overthrow and brought back Western-friendly Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to power.

Operation PBSUCCESS (Guatemala, 1952-1954)

In 1954, the CIA orchestrated a covert campaign to remove Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz. His land reform policies, which affected the holdings of the United Fruit Company, were viewed in Washington as a threat amid fears of communist influence.

The operation involved psychological warfare, diplomatic pressure, and support for a rebel force led by Carlos Castillo Armas. Arbenz resigned, and Castillo Armas assumed power, ushering in years of political instability.

The Guatemalan civil conflict that followed killed about 2 lakh people, according to UN-backed truth commission findings.

Congo (1960-1965)

In the early 1960s, the US worked to remove Congo's Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba. American officials believed he was too close to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War and feared Congo could fall under Soviet influence.

The CIA gave secret support to Lumumba's political rivals and backed efforts to push him out of office. CIA Director Allen Dulles reportedly ordered that Lumumba's removal be treated as a priority. There were also discussions about assassinating him, but that specific plan was not carried out.

In September 1960, army chief Joseph Mobutu took power in a coup after President Joseph Kasa-Vubu dismissed Lumumba. Lumumba was later arrested and, in January 1961, sent to Katanga province, where he was killed.

The US later supported Mobutu, who went on to rule the country for decades.

Cuba Operations (1961-1962)

The failed invasion in April 1961 aimed to overthrow Fidel Castro. Around 114 Cuban exile fighters were killed, and Cuban government forces suffered an estimated 150-200 fatalities. The operation ended within three days.

Following the failed Bay Of Pigs Invasion, the US launched Operation Mongoose, a covert programme involving sabotage, intelligence gathering, and propaganda designed to destabilise Cuba's government. The effort did not succeed in removing Castro.

Project FUBELT (Chile, 1970-1973)

Also known as Track II, Project FUBELT was a CIA programme aimed at preventing socialist leader Salvador Allende from consolidating power after his 1970 election victory. US efforts included covert funding of opposition groups and attempts to encourage a military intervention.

In 1973, a military coup led by Augusto Pinochet removed Allende from office. Subsequent investigations confirmed US involvement in destabilisation efforts prior to the coup. Chile's officials later documented more than 3,000 people killed or disappeared during Pinochet's rule, along with tens of thousands tortured.

Operation Cyclone (Cold War Support To Insurgencies - 1979-1992)

Operation Cyclone was a long-running CIA programme that funded and armed Afghan mujahedin fighters resisting the Soviet-backed government during the Soviet-Afghan War.

Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan, 2001-2021)

Launched on October 7, 2001, Operation Enduring Freedom targeted the Taliban government and al-Qaeda. This came after the September 11 attacks. The Taliban regime was quickly toppled, and operations later transitioned to NATO leadership under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Over the course of the 20-year war, estimates from the Costs of War project at Brown University suggest that more than 1.7 lakh people were killed in Afghanistan. This included over 46,000 civilians. The total figure rises further when including indirect deaths linked to war-related causes. The US withdrew in 2021, and the Taliban returned to power.

Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq, 2003-2011)

Operation Iraqi Freedom began on March 20, 2003, to remove Saddam Hussein from power. His government collapsed within weeks.

The invasion was justified on claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and posed a security threat. No active stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction were found.

In 2010, combat operations formally ended under Operation New Dawn, and US forces withdrew in 2011. American troops later returned in 2014 to combat ISIS. The Iraq Body Count project has documented more than 2 lakh civilian deaths from violence since 2003.

US intelligence agencies have conducted psychological operations, propaganda campaigns and political influence efforts across Africa, Latin America, Europe and Asia, often backing groups aligned with US interests.

During the Cold War, outlets such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty were used to broadcast Western-backed news into Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union to counter state-controlled media.