Seven decades after the covert coup d’état that deposed Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh, Western commentary routinely treats his fall as a tragic prologue to foreign intervention in the Middle East. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) recognized that if a nation is to attain lasting sovereignty and democracy, popular aspirations must be anchored in an uncompromising organizational structure. It will be decided by the historical students of Dr. Mossadegh—the organized resistance that built the institutional strength to withstand tyranny and keep an independent movement alive.