# Denial of CIA's involvement in 1953 Iranian coup d'état by American government official Brian Hook in 2019

On 20 August 2019 (one day after the 66th anniversary of 1953 Iranian coup d'état) at a press briefing in New York City, Brian Hook (U.S. Special Representative for Iran and Senior Policy Advisor to Sec. of State Mike Pompeo) was asked by Kevin Pinner of Sankei Shimbun if acknowledging the U.S. role in Mohammed Mossadegh's overthrow would be a helpful diplomatic gesture. “Mossadegh was not removed by the CIA”, he replied, insisting that domestic forces alone accomplished the task. This was against the expression of regret in 2000 by the Secretary of State Madeleine Albright for the CIA's role in the Iranian coup d'état. Hook claimed that scholarly articles support his narrative.

- Kind: Short
- Year: 2019
- Runtime: 2 min
- By: U.S. Department of State
- Archive: [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Denial_of_CIA%27s_involvement_in_1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat_by_American_government_official_Brian_Hook_in_2019.webm)
- Licence or status: Public domain (as the archive states it)
- Credit: U.S. Department of State
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/commons/131945488?play=1)