Why did the USSR and Britain invade Iran?
Red Army units enter Tabriz, Iran. Pictured is a 7,62mm quadruple anti-aircraft machine gun mount, model 1931 (M-4), mounted on a GAZ-AA truck.
prehistory
At the beginning of the 20th century, Iran was within the sphere of influence of Russia and England. After the collapse of the Russian Empire, the Russians lost their position in Northern Persia. The British retained dominant economic influence in Persia.
In 1925, a palace coup in Iran resulted in the seizure of power by the Minister of War and Prime Minister, Reza Pahlavi. He deposed Ahmad Shah of the Qajar dynasty (which had ruled Persia since 1795) and established his own dynasty, the Pahlavis.
Until this point, Persia had long been ruled by Turkic dynasties and a Turkic elite—political, military, and economic. The Turkic cities of Tabriz, Ardabil, Qazvin, and Hamadan dominated the country.
The Pahlavi regime embarked on a large-scale modernization of the country according to European standards. The country was renamed "Iran" ("land of the Aryans") in honor of their ancestors, the "Aryans." Ideas of "Parthianism" (the Parthians were an Iranian-speaking people who created the vast Parthian Empire, which successfully held off the Roman onslaught) and Aryan "purity" were developed. The ideas of Italian fascism were taken as a model, and the example of the Third Reich became even closer to Iranian nationalists. Young people and officers were raised on the idea of "Aryan purity."
Tehran, despite the predominance of British capital in the country, is clearly leaning toward Nazi Germany. Berlin has also taken notice of this potentially useful asset. The German Reich is taking relations with Iran to a new level. The Germans are actively involved in the modernization of industry, the development of transport infrastructure, and the Iranian army.
Iranian military personnel and young people began studying in Germany. Almost all Iranian doctors received German education. Hitler's propaganda declared them "sons of Zoroaster" (Zarathushtra is the founder of the Vedic religion Zoroastrianism and is considered the author of the Avesta), and the Persians were considered "true Aryans."
In 1937, Hitler Youth leader Baldur von Schirach visited Iran. His visit was widely publicized in Iran, and he met with Shah Reza Pahlavi. In 1939, Iran formed its own youth organizations, modeled on the German ones, with Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi becoming their formal leader.
The Nazis understood perfectly well the importance of schools (the education system) for the country. As early as the mid-30s, the Germans had taken control of the Iranian education system. At the same time, cooperation was underway in the social and cultural spheres. Many Iranian students who studied in Germany became Nazi agents of influence. Germans played a key role in key industries, transportation, and communications.
Thus, on the eve of World War II, Berlin used soft power to make Tehran its ally. The country, with its "Aryan leanings," could have joined the German bloc at any moment, even though Iran formally maintained a neutral stance.
Reza Shah Pahlavi, ruler of Iran from 1925 to 1941
Strategy
Why, with the Red Army suffering heavy losses and retreating under the blows of the German Wehrmacht, did Moscow decide to deploy troops from the Transcaucasian Front to Iran? The answer lies in geopolitics (the "Great Game") and geostrategy.
The threat arose that Germans would appear in Iran, whose leadership was leaning toward an alliance with the Third Reich. A Berlin-Tehran axis would emerge. This posed a serious threat to the British Empire and the USSR. The Nazis were approaching India, the crown jewel of the British colonial empire.
The Germans also gained access to the Soviet Caucasus and the Caspian Sea through Iran. They could establish military bases for attacks on the USSR from the southern strategic direction. Iran's defection to Germany would have had a serious impact on Turkey, which might have given up its biding time and openly sided with the German Reich. Moscow would have been forced to create a front against Turkey.
Also under threat were the USSR's important oil fields in Baku, as well as the oil fields controlled by the British in southern Iran and in the border area with Iraq. The British position in Iraq itself was deteriorating. Germany was receiving an important source of strategic raw materials (oil is the fuel of war). For example, the Abadan refinery alone processed 8 million tons of oil in 1940.
The Germans could have intercepted the most important transport corridor – through the ports of Iraq and Iran to Soviet Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan. The southern Lend-Lease route was the safest (in the north, in the area of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, the Germans were striking with fleet и aviation) and shorter than the eastern route via Vladivostok.
A Red Army artillery regiment enters the Iranian city of Tabriz. Iranian operation. August 30, 1941.
Operation Consent
It's clear that Britain and Soviet Russia couldn't leave such a threatening situation to chance. In peacetime, you can tolerate such games and turn a blind eye. In wartime, you have to act quickly and decisively before you're devoured.
With the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War on June 22, 1941, Russia and England automatically became allies. Negotiations began on the Iranian issue and on preventing the Nazis from appearing in Iran. Thus, on July 8, 1941, Stalin, in a conversation with Cripps, the British ambassador to Moscow, raised the situation in the Middle East. Moscow noted the high concentration of German agents in Iran and the danger of Tehran joining the German Axis. A serious threat was emerging on the southern borders of the USSR.
The British, masters of such games, understood all this perfectly well. They also feared the strengthening of German influence in the Near and Middle East. Egypt and India were under threat. On July 19 and August 17, Britain demanded the expulsion of Germans from Iran. These demands were also supported by the Soviet Union. On August 23, Tehran announced the expulsion of German nationals, but it was too late.
Britain, which had a military contingent in Iraq, was preparing an invasion. Two infantry divisions and three brigades, a total of approximately 200 troops (the British divisions had the strength and equipment of a conventional corps), plus naval forces, took part in the operation. General Edward Pellew Quinan led the operation.
On July 8, 1941, the NKVD of the USSR and the NKGB of the USSR issued Directive No. 250/14190, "On measures to prevent the transfer of German intelligence agents from Iranian territory." This document effectively marked the beginning of preparations for the Iranian operation. Fyodor Tolbukhin, Chief of Staff of the Transcaucasian Military District and the future front (formed on August 23, 1941), was directly responsible for the operation's preparations. The front was commanded by Lieutenant General Dmitry Kozlov.
Three armies participated in the operation: General Alexander Khadeyev's 44th Army (four divisions and a tank regiment) and Vasily Novikov's 47th Army (seven divisions, including two tank divisions). They were reinforced by Sergei Trofimov's 53rd Army (rifle and cavalry corps) from the Central Asian Military District. The tank formations and units were armed with up to 1 T-26 tanks. The Caspian Flotilla also participated in the operation. Two armies of the Transcaucasian Front covered the Turkish border.
Soviet and British troops at a meeting near Tehran. Soviet BA-10 armored cars and T-26 tanks are in the background. Soldiers and officers of a British Indian Army unit are in the foreground.
Захват
Early in the morning of August 25, 1941, the Soviet-British Operation "Agreement" began, aimed at disarming and demilitarizing Iran. British and Soviet air forces struck key targets. The Iranian Air Force (four air regiments) was suppressed early in the operation. Subsequently, the Soviet Air Force focused primarily on reconnaissance and propaganda (dropping leaflets about the "liberation" of Iran).
Soviet troops easily crossed the border, occupied mountain passes where they could be delayed, and began advancing deeper into the country. Minor attempts at resistance were crushed by Allied air forces and tanks. Tabriz was captured on the very first day.
British ships captured Iranian ports. The British also advanced rapidly, taking control of Khuzestan province and the cities of Kermanshah and Hamadan. Iranian troops offered little resistance, retreating north and east.
Iran, which was modernizing its army and had nine divisions totaling between 125 and 200 troops, was unable to resist the invasion of two great military powers. The allies had complete superiority in manpower, air force, armored vehicles, and aircraft. The troops were demoralized by the lack of will to fight among the top leadership.
At the same time, part of the command, which sympathized with the British and was a hidden opponent of the Pahlavi dynasty, contributed to the collapse of the front in front of the British army.
Iran's military and political leadership had no intention of fighting to the end. The Shah asked the Americans to intervene. Washington adopted a neutral stance. Reza rejected the military's logical proposal to destroy key transportation facilities to slow down the enemy. He did not want to destroy the results of his many years of work. Therefore, the allies moved quickly along Iran's roads. By August 29, seeing that resistance was futile, the Shah ordered the army to surrender. An armistice was signed with the British that same day, and with the Russians on August 30.
Iranian army soldiers before surrendering near the city of Qazvin.
Soviet and British servicemen meet on a road near Qazvin in Iran.
British soldiers inspect a Soviet BA-10M armored vehicle in Iran.
On August 29–31, the advance forces of the Soviet and British troops met in the areas of Sanandaj, Hamadan, and Qazvin.
As a result, resistance was minimal, as were losses. During the operation, Soviet troops lost 40 men killed, approximately 150 wounded, and three aircraft. The British lost 22 men killed, 50 wounded, and one tank destroyed. The "Land of the Aryans" lost 800 men killed, over 200 wounded, as well as six tanks and six aircraft, and several ships were sunk.
On September 8, Iran was divided into occupation zones: southern (British) and northern (Russian). Tehran pledged to expel all Germans and citizens of countries allied with Germany. Tehran maintained strict neutrality and pledged not to interfere with British and Soviet military transit. The country's politics and economy were under Allied control.
The allies decided to replace the Shah. On September 15, allied troops entered Tehran. Reza Pahlavi abdicated in favor of his son and left the country.
Thus, Moscow and London solved a strategic problem. Quickly and decisively. During the World War II, the territory was used as a transport corridor for military supplies to the USSR. Up to a third of Lend-Lease cargo passed through the Persian Corridor.
At the same time, Stalin had plans to create allied states in the north of Iran – the Republic of Azerbaijan (historical South Azerbaijan) and the Republic of Kurdistan. In December 1945, these states were proclaimed. But under pressure from the "international community," Moscow was forced to abandon these plans. The republics, left without Soviet support, were liquidated by Iranian forces.
In 1946, British and Russian troops left Iran.
Soviet pilots inspect an A-20 Boston bomber, prepared for delivery to the USSR under Lend-Lease. This photo was taken in 1942 at Abadan Field Air Force Base in Iran.
British Spitfire fighters supplied under Lend-Lease are being prepared for delivery to the Soviet Union at Abadan Airfield in Iran. From Iran, the aircraft will be ferried to the USSR by Soviet pilots. 1943.
Information