Iran and Britain: The Formation of the Modern Persian Gulf

Many facets of Iranian history are linked to Britain, as the roots of Iranian-British relations stretch back to the seventeenth century. Over time, Britain was able to consolidate its position in Iran through a number of concessions, the most important of which was the oil concession, which constituted a major factor in Britain’s relentless pursuit of strengthening its relations with Iran.

Iran’s importance to Britain and its allies became more pronounced in the fifties, as evidenced by Britain’s attempt to link Iran to Western alliances. This was translated into Iran’s entry into the Baghdad Pact. Iran became one of the main pillars of this alliance. The subsequent development of relations between the two countries was represented by cooperation in various fields.

This book attempts to shed light on British-Iranian relations, which date back to Iran’s signing of a treaty of defensive alliance with Britain in 1814 and to Iran’s emergence as a state of concern to the British administration in the region. The book aims to lay out the truth about Britain’s position on the Iranian Islamic Revolution, which greatly contributed to drawing the most important features of bilateral relations between the two countries. It also attempts to define the nature of British attitudes towards the Iranian revolution and its government in particular, and the Arab Gulf in general.