Iranian Oil Facilities Under Khomeini
September 25th, 2016
In this poster, an oil facility lies beneath a large portrait of Ayatollah Khomeini. A serpent (impressed with the Soviet hammer and sickle) sits coiled around an oil pipe as it is impaled by a spear. At the same time, an axe chops off the lower arm of a beast marked with the flag of the United States. Both weapons are wrapped within the radiant proclamation that “God is Great.” To the right of Khomeini’s portrait is his saying: “If the Muslim world is united, the influence of big powers on all Islamic resources will be eliminated.” Iran’s history of foreign interference in its own governance (particularly Britain’s control of the oil industry under the Pahlavis) resulted in fears after the Revolution of further incursion from the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union. Khomeini’s god-like presence alongside weapons emanating from the name of God illustrates the belief that the Islamic faith can overcome the foreign theft of Iran’s natural resources.