Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On 28 January 1974, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, spoke to ITN's Peter Snow. In the course of a remarkable interview, the Shah warned that Britain's "permissive society" had led to a collapse in "discipline" that would soon cause the country to "blow up" and "go bankrupt". He was speaking in the context of Iran's role in the 1973 oil crisis, which saw the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) increase oil prices in response to Western support for Israel in the Yom Kippur War. The Shah also dismissed the idea that Iran’s growing oil wealth would lead to demands for Western‑style democracy. “Who says my people want the kind of democracy you have in Britain?” he asked, describing the bond between king and people as one of paternal authority, like the respect "children used to have for their father". Just five years later, the Shah would be forced into exile in a tumultuous popular revolution.
#Iran #IranianRevolution #ShahOfIran #MohammadRezaPahlavi #Pahlavi #Shah #IranianHistory #Exile #ColdWar #History #USIran #USIranConflict #IranWar
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On 28 January 1974, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, spoke to ITN's Peter Snow. In the course of a remarkable interview, the Shah warned that Britain's "permissive society" had led to a collapse in "discipline" that would soon cause the country to "blow up" and "go bankrupt". He was speaking in the context of Iran's role in the 1973 oil crisis, which saw the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) increase oil prices in response to Western support for Israel in the Yom Kippur War. The Shah also dismissed the idea that Iran’s growing oil wealth would lead to demands for Western‑style democracy. “Who says my people want the kind of democracy you have in Britain?” he asked, describing the bond between king and people as one of paternal authority, like the respect "children used to have for their father". Just five years later, the Shah would be forced into exile in a tumultuous popular revolution.
#Iran #IranianRevolution #ShahOfIran #MohammadRezaPahlavi #Pahlavi #Shah #IranianHistory #Exile #ColdWar #History #USIran #USIranConflict #IranWar
To license the footage featured in this clip, follow the link below:
gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/shah-of-iran-interview-switzerland-st-moritzcs-shah-of-news-footage/810505590?adppopup=true
To search the ITN Archive collection on Getty Images, follow the link below:
gettyimages.co.uk/footage/itn
🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel (tap the bell icon and stay up to date with all the latest ITN Archive videos!) - youtube.com/@FrontlinebyITN
🎥 Follow us on Twitter - twitter.com/ITNArchive
🎥 Like us on Facebook - facebook.com/ITNArchiveITNP
🎥 Check out our TikTok - tiktok.com/@itnarchive1955
