On August 19, 1953 [28 Mordad 1332], Mossadegh’s government fell victim to a coordinated covert operation by US and British governments and domestic enemies, code named TP-AJAX by the CIA. Mossadegh was arrested and hauled into court to be subjected to a grueling six week long military trial. During the subsequent appeal, the public was forbidden from witnessing the proceedings, which were also not allowed to be published in the newspapers. To protest these actions Mossadegh went on a hunger strike, a form of non-violent dissent he had practiced in past dealings with arbitrary rules.
Mossadegh was convicted as a traitor and sentenced, at age 71, to three years of solitary imprisonment. Upon completion of this prison time, he was taken to Ahmadabad and was kept under house arrest until his death. Mossadegh’s company would be confined to a small circle of people for the remainder of his life – only close relatives and his personal lawyer Nosratollah Amini were permitted to visit him at his Ahmadabad estate.
Mossadegh In Gholam-Hossein’s book In the Company of My Father, he explains that during these years his father ate simply and in small portions. For breakfast, he would have bread and cheese with sweetened hot water; and for lunch he would eat rice and khoresh [various Persian sauces], ending his day with a light dinner. He liked fruit, particularly the Persian melon kharbozeh.
Gholam-Hossein recalls that in this period his father was generally well and his mind was clear. His main complaint was living without companionship, which worsened when he lost his wife in 1965 (1344 Persian). In the winter of 1966-67 (1344) he developed pneumonia but recovered and did well until the following winter.
Gholam-Hossein describes that one Friday in the month of Aban 1345 (November-October 1966), he noticed redness and swelling on his father’s left cheek. When he inquired about it, Mossadegh informed him about the presence of a painful blister on the roof of his mouth, for which he had applied Mercurchrome on his cheek to relieve the pain. Shortly afterward, Nosratollah Amini brought in his close friend Dr. Esmail Yazdi, an oral surgeon (brother of Dr. Ebrahim Yazdi, who became Minister of Foreign Affairs in the early post Islamic revolution years and later an opposition leader) to examine Mossadegh. Dr. Yazdi recommended that Mossadegh be admitted to a hospital in Tehran for a more thorough evaluation. To secure permission from the Shah for this transfer, Gholam-Hossein asked professor Yahya Adl to intervene. A couple of days later the Shah granted this permission and Mossadegh was brought to Tehran and admitted to Najmieh hospital. He underwent a biopsy and was diagnosed with cancer in the roof of the mouth. While in the hospital no one was allowed to visit him, and he refused his children’s offers to fly him to Europe for treatment or to bring physicians from abroad.
Mossadegh Mossadegh was discharged from the hospital and began receiving cobalt radiation therapy in Mehr hospital while staying in his son’s home, still under house arrest. Diba writes that cobalt therapy was “administered by Dr. Ahmad Farhad, one-time chancellor of Tehran University, and Dr. Sadr”. According to Gholam-Hossein, his father developed enlarged lymph glands in his neck which caused such tremendous pain that it caused him to scream in agony. He took a lot of analgesics which aggravated his stomach ulcer. Due to mouth and throat pain, Mossadegh lost his ability to eat and began vomiting blood and bled through his bowels.
Mossadegh transferred back to Najmieh Hospital and was transfused. His condition deteriorated rather rapidly and a few days later, he fell into a coma.
On the dawn of 14 Esfand 1346 (March 5, 1967) Mossadegh died at age 85. The Shah refused to allow his burial in the cemetery of martyrs as he had wished in his will and Mossadegh was buried in the ground of the dining room of his house in Ahmadabad.
By mohammadmossadegh.com