Abdolhossein Dehdashti and the South Oil CompanyDispute on Larestan Landslide Lands (1922-1928)

The present study reports the dispute between Abdolhossein Dehdashti, a prominent Iranian scholar and merchant and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company  regarding the ownership of the Larestan bitumen land in Shooshtar between 1922-1928. The paper reports the efforts of the both parties to prove their rightful ownership of the land.

This research is based on archival documents library resources.

The D'Arcy contract and the South Oil Company with the Bakhtiari people led to the disregard of the ownership of Sadat Qahiri, a resident of Shushtar, Khuzistan, on the Larestan bitumen lands. Although the land was initially leased to the South Oil Company, its economic importance led the South Oil Company to claim ownership of the land and disregard Sadat Qahiri's right of ownership. By choosing Abdolhossein Dehdashti as their lawyer, Sadat Qahiri succeeded in proving his ownership of the mentioned lands and undermining the economic-political interests of the Southern Oil Company. In addition, based on the proposal and follow-up of Sadat Qahiri 's lawyer, "Oil Management and Auditing" was formed in Khuzistan, as a result of which the profiteering of courtiers and influential people from oil resources was stopped and limited.