Our Man in Tehran
1941 – 1979
Replacing his deposed father, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was central to first British and then American plans for the Middle East. While Pahlavi undertook the mantle of western reformer, he often chafed under neo-imperialist economic relationships, particularly where oil was concerned. Nevertheless, Iran’s oil wealth spurred Pahlavi into the center of global geopolitics and his association with the United States was vital for both nation’s positions in the region. However, whatever outward elements of reform Iran projected, Pahlavi also used a brutal internal police force, the SAVAK, and turned despotic and megalomaniacal in the later years of his reign. This was all the opening required for Iran’s seething revolutionary elements.
Time: Mid War
Side: US
Ops: 2
Removed after event: Yes
As USSR
Our Man in Tehran hovers just at the border of send-to-space and suck-it-up. If I can spare the Ops, I like to send it to space, but I rarely can, and so I often just end up playing it and hoping the US doesn’t find anything good.
If you’ve already seen the important cards (good scoring cards or good USSR events like Lone Gunman, We Will Bury You, Decolonization, Muslim Revolution, OPEC, etc.) go to the discard, then it’s not a big deal. It’s also not a big deal in the rare situation where the US controls no Middle East country, or only controls a single one (and you can use the Ops to break control of the country). And although it is slightly less effective on Turn 6 then at other times, that alone is not enough reason to feel safe about playing it.
As US
A very nice event and one I almost always trigger. It is worst on Turn 6, but even then it is better than its 2 Ops, especially if you have not yet seen an important card you wish to discard.
Twilight Strategy 
Huh. I always assumed the event was talking about Kermit Roosevelt, who claimed credit for the coup that stuck the Shah in power (how much “credit” he actually deserves is a matter of dispute), and was somewhat timeshifted later than it should be (since the Iran coup is 1953 and more Early War). Instead, it’s… a Canadian diplomat? Who is famous for an action that takes place after US influence in Tehran has already crumbled, a Late War card? That makes even less sense. Oh, well.
This is not the same historical flavor text that is in the Deluxe Edition rules (at least not in the copy that I have). Granted, this flavor text is more topical, but is it applicable? It doesn’t address who “Our Man” actually is, who from what I remember, was a West-leaning Iranian ambassador that later went corrupt.
I don’t see any optional cards mentioned in the historical flavor text of the Deluxe Edition rules: http://www.gmtgames.com/living_rules/TS_Rules_Deluxe.pdf
I assumed it was the hostage rescue because of the book.
I really like this card, though its timing is important. Theory is right: it is definitely most useful when played toward the end of the MidWar shuffle, when you can better identify some of the nastier Soviet cards that have yet to be seen. Also, I think it’s important to note that Score Cards can also be chucked with “Our Man…”. In the last game I played, my US opponent discarded Asia Scoring (I dominated) and Central America Scoring (I was one influence away from dominating). A very timely and effective play of “Our Man…”.
I remember during a disastrous game as US: my opponent gleefully played OMIT and I had no control in the Middle East. He wasn’t laughing so much when I played Muslim Revs for a delicious free 4 Ops.
This was my first game (so please tell me if I’ve not it wrong!), but I may have found an (obscure?) use for Our Man in Tehran:
at the start of round 7 we dealt out our cards. With held cards and discards falling as they did, there were exactly enough cards for us, leaving none in the draw deck. This means that in round 8, when we add the late-game cards to the draw deck, it will be composed solely of late game cards.
If I play OMIT as an event, however, there aren’t enough cards in the draw deck for me to draw five to look at, which means we have to shuffle the 30-some cards in the discard pile for me to look at five. Which means that when the late game cards are shuffled in at the end of the turn, instead of both players getting a hand full of late game cards, there’ll be a lot of early and mid-game cards for both. Given my position, I didn’t want my opponent to have as good a chance of picking up wargames as they’d have had if we were only drawing late-game cards, so I played it to cause the pack to be diluted.
We realised that was wrong (if there are ever zero cards in the draw deck you reshuffle), but it would work if there was only one.
Does this card go in the discard pile or headline pile? It has the asterisk like most headline cards, but lacks the red remove from play on the bottom.
Thanks.
It is removed after use. You can get a corrected card from GMT if you wish.
If USSR plays the card but US controls no country in Middle East, is the card considered as used and goes to discard pile or it is not used and goes to reshuffle pile? Thanks.
I believe that, like Kitchen Debates, it gets discarded not removed.
Also, the “discard” pile is technically the reshuffle pile. I think you’re thinking of the removed pile.