Jafar Pishevari

Azerbaijan People’s Government declares autonomy

📅 12 December 1945

Pishevari’s government declared autonomy in Tabriz with Soviet support. Local demands for language rights and reform intersected with foreign military leverage over Tehran.

Tehran and Azerbaijani representatives reach a compromise

📅 13 June 1946

An agreement provided for the Azerbaijani parliament to become a provincial council. Iranian negotiations sought a settlement after Soviet withdrawal, but the compromise did not endure.

Iranian troops enter Tabriz after Pishevari’s flight

📅 13 December 1946

Iranian troops entered Tabriz after Pishevari fled to the USSR. Central control returned, followed by reprisals that also harmed people associated with the regional movement.