There is a ubiquitous saying among Iranians that says “the job is always an English job”, which is not so unreasonable if we review the history of Iran-Britain relationship. The Iran-Britain ties during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II can be divided into two eras: the Pahlavi era (1952-1979) and the Islamic Republic era (1979-2022).
The nationalization of the Iranian oil industry, 1953 coup, the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the 8-year Iran-Iraq war, and Iran’s nuclear program and the related negotiations are among the important spotlights of this period.
Oil, coup d’état, support for Pahlavi despotism
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of Windsor came to throne in 1952, a year after one of the most important cases of tension between Iran and Britain had been opened. Tehran had chosen to reclaim its oil after decades of extortion by London. The movement to nationalize Iran’s oil industry which was under British Petroleum (BP)’s control through Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) was led by Mohammad Mosaddegh, the democratically elected prime minister of Iran.
Britain unsuccessfully tried to stop the movement through filing a lawsuit in the International Court of Justice, as the ICJ voted in favor of the Iranian people which restricted the APOC’s dominance over Iran’s oil industry.
Mosaddegh paid the cost of his struggle to free Iran’s oil from British control when he was ousted through a coup d’état in a British-instigated operation led by the United States, known Operation Ajax.
The then British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden hastily travelled to Washington to convince the then US President Franklin D. Roosevelt that Mosaddegh was a dangerous nominee for Iran’s premiership, presenting him as a Soviet puppet.
The coup was staged in August 15, 1953, paving the way for the continuation of British dominion and the start of serious US involvement in Iran’s politics and economy. The US strongly supported Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, who thanked Britain and the US for their aid to oust Mosaddegh.
Despite Britain’s direct role in Reza Shah’s forced abdication and exile, father of Mohammad-Reza, the second Pahlavi monarch developed a friendly relationship with Britain and Queen Elizabeth II.
Islamic Revolution and Iran-Iraq War
Britain had an obstructive role in the Islamic Revolution since its commencement in 1963. Some experts deny Britain’s obstruction but the behavior of different British governments during Elizabeth’s reign after the Islamic Revolution reveals their intentions and their perception of the Islamic Revolution.
The UK recognized the Iranian government that come to power through the Islamic Revolution, but it changed course during Margaret Thatcher’s premiership and instigated an 11-year period of cold relations between Tehran and London.
The Western countries, including Britain, fully support Iraq during the eight-year war against Iran. They provided Saddam Hussein’s regime with weaponry and intelligence services, including Iran’s defensive and military information.
Advanced Aerial Services (A.A.S.) and training Iraq’s special airborne forces, delivering Iran-purchased Chieftain tanks to Iraq, selling Hawk fighters to Baghdad, etc. constitute a part of Britain’s support for Iraq.
Sanctions
The end of Iran-Iraq war was the beginning of a new era of excessive demands from Iraq, this time under the pretext of Iran’s nuclear program. The Western countries pressured Iran through sanctions led by the US. The move was fully accompanied by Britain. They issued various resolutions and imposed various sanctions against Iran to impede its achievement to nuclear capabilities.
Britain also supported the Zionist regime’s assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists and its sabotage operations against Iranian nuclear sites.
Why do Iranians distrust Britain?
Britain occupied Iran during World War II, created an artificial famine and civil war in Iran, provoked and incentivized Iran’s foreign enemies and internal dissidents, dominated Iran’s oil industry for a long time, contributed to the 1953 coup d’état, obstructed Iran’s Islamic Revolution, supported Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Iran, and exerted pressure against Iran in the case of nuclear issues.
These are only the most important reasons why Iranian’s are right to distrust Britain and King Charles III has a hard job to change the course and retain the Iranians’ trust.
Edited by: Tohid Mahmoudpour
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