Iran-Russia Border, Diplomacy and Security Challenges in the North Khorasan Borders in the Nasser-e-Din Shah Era (Case Study of Kalat-e-Naderi)

One of the most neglected issues in Khorasan after the Akhal Treaty is Russia's policies of influence on the northern borders of Khorasan and Kalat-e-Naderi. With regard to archival documents, the purpose of this descriptive-analytical study is to answer the following questions: what political and economic goals the Russians were seeking in northern Khorasan, especially in Kalat-e-Naderi? And what diplomacy and policy did the Qajar government pursue against these Russian logistics policies? In a detailed and analytical-comparative approach, the findings represent that after the Merv defeat and the end of Iranian influence in Central Asia, the Qajar government on the northern borders of Khorasan faced many challenges and crises. The Russians' advance in the Central Asian region and their new claim of ownership of new parts of the border, such as Sarakhs and their involvement in the Kalat-e-Naderi and Dargaz affairs, aroused the anger of Nasser al-Din Shah. For this reason, at the behest of the Shah of Iran and the efforts of the State Department, Iran's international diplomacy became more active, and Iran used British influence in the region to pressure the Russian government. Also, by strengthening its military power in Khorasan, increasing the power of local rulers, dispatching mapping engineers and using spies, the Qajar government sought to maintain or balance the power in the region in its favor.