Coup brings Reza Khan and Seyyed Zia to power

The convention mapped a Russian sphere in the north, a British sphere in the southeast, and a neutral area. Iran was not a party. It did not formally abolish sovereignty, but treated Iranian territory...

The D’Arcy enterprise struck a substantial reservoir near Masjed Soleyman in Khuzestan after years of drilling. The discovery accelerated foreign investment and British strategic interest in Iranian...

Forces of Mohammad Ali Shah, including the Persian Cossack Brigade under Russian officer Vladimir Liakhov, shelled parliament in Tehran and suppressed constitutional institutions. The attack began the...

Constitutionalist forces from Tabriz, Gilan, and the Bakhtiari region entered Tehran. Mohammad Ali Shah was deposed and his young son Ahmad Shah succeeded him; constitutional government was...

The agreement proposed British advisers for Iran’s military and finances and a British-arranged loan. Opponents feared it would turn British influence into control over state policy. It faced public...

The Moscow treaty renounced a range of Tsarist-era privileges and debts and recognized Persian sovereignty. Article 6 also reserved a Soviet right to intervene if a third power used Iranian...

The Majlis voted to depose the Qajar dynasty and transfer provisional governing powers to Reza Khan pending a constituent assembly. Reza Khan was crowned Reza Shah in 1926. Parliamentary procedure...

After the government canceled the D’Arcy concession in 1932, negotiations produced a new agreement with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. The Majlis ratified it May 28; royal assent followed May 29. It...

A foreign ministry circular took effect on Nowruz, asking governments to use “Iran” and “Iranian” in official correspondence instead of the Western exonym “Persia.” Iran was already used domestically;...

British and Soviet troops entered from south and north, citing security concerns and German nationals. The operation also secured an Allied supply corridor to the USSR and protected strategic...