Iran and Britain

Summary of a 2009 BBC4 documentary on the history of the relationship between Britain and Persia/Iran, presented by Christopher de Bellaigue, a British writer living in Iran.

This programme presents a brief history of relations between Britain and the country which we nowadays call Iran but which was traditionally called Persia. In particular, the aim is to explain why, even after 30 years of almost complete mutual diplomatic isolation, the popular Iranian attitude towards Britain remains one of mistrust.

In the early 1600s, when Shakespeare was writing about the Shah Abbas (1571-1629, reigned from 1587), Britain and Persia were equals on the world stage. By the late 1800s however, Britain was the greatest imperial power in the world, and Persia was a poor country whose sole significance was that it formed a buffer zone between the British empire to the east and west and Russia to the north. Britain needed to prevent what it saw as a weak Persia from falling into the hands of the Russians, since it was an important part of the overland communication route between Britain and India.

One of Britain's tactics in controlling Persia was to foment popular support for liberal democracy as a counterweight to the Shah's influence. This resulted in the constitutional revolution, where the Shah backed down and allowed the creation of a parliament. However, the situation was completely altered by the treaty of alliance between Britain and Russia in 1907, brokered by France to counter the growing influence of Germany. This led to Persia being carved up between the British and Russians into 'spheres of influence', and when the Russians forced the suspension of the Persian parliament, the British made no objection. The liberal democratic movement in Persia felt they had been betrayed by Britain.

The discovery of oil in southern Persia in 1908 transformed Britain's political interest in the country. Production was controlled by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (later to become British Petroleum), in which the British government had a majority share. By the end of the First World War, Persia was one of Britain's most important strategic assets, and with the collapse of Russia into revolution and civil war, the entire country came under British influence. The Anglo-Persian Agreement, negotiated by the British foreign secretary Lord Curzon (1859-1925), led to Britain taking over the running of Persia's armed forces and the exploitation of its economy. Persia was not a colony of Britain, but neither was it independent. Britain offered tacit support to the bloodless coup in 1921, which saw the pro-British army officer Reza Khan (1878-1944, reigned 1925-41) seize power. Reza went on to crown himself Shah in 1925, establishing a new dynasty, and rebranding the country as 'Iran'.

1941: Russia and Britain preemptively invaded Iran, to protect the oil fields from the Germans. Reza Shah had become unpopular by this time, so he abdicated and went into exile. His son, Mohammed Reza, took over, and always blamed the British for his father's downfall. By this time, Abidan was the largest oil refinery in the world, with 2000 British expatriates and 75000 Iranian staff. Tensions rose however as the Iranians felt excluded from senior roles in the firm. 1951: Mossadegh became PM. He wanted to remove foreign influence (including British influence) from Iran, and make the country properly independent. He passed a bill nationalising Iranian oil. The oil company retaliated by closing the Abadan refinery. Britain tried to undermine Mossadegh, and even came close to military intervention. They then persuaded the new US president Eisenhower that the Mossadegh government was a threat to both UK and US interests, since it would lead to a communist takeover. The US then organised a coup in 1953 (led by CIA-sponsored mercenaries) to unseat Mossadegh. General Zahedi became the new PM. Oil production was divided up between British and American companies, with 50% of the profits going to Iran. Shah Mohamed slowly assumed absolute power. In 1959 he undertook a state visit to the UK. Oil revenues led to a dramatic expansion of Iran's economy. 1973: the Shah, as head of OPEC, doubled the price of world oil. Britain's response was to sell as many arms and tanks to Iran as possible, to offset the oil price rises. As the economy grew, the gap between rich and poor got wider, and Iran's religious traditions were ignored. The Shah made sure all opposition was brutally repressed. The Shah became upset with the BBC World Service, which broadcast news about popular discontent which Radio Iran censored. The Shah tried to persuade the British government to intervene in the management of the BBC. The Iranian government particularly resented BBC reporting the words of Ayatolah Khomeini. Dec 1978: chaos in Iran. Majority of people against the Shah. He fled Iran and Ayatollah Khomeini returned to assume power. Relations between Britain and Iran became almost completely estranged. Even now, after a generation of mutual isolation, the notion of the 'hidden hand' of the British lingers on in Iranian popular consciousness (i.e. 'Uncle Napoleonism'). Presenter: Christopher De Bellaigue (a British writer and journalist living in Iran) Director: Neil Cameron 2009