The Question of Bahrain in Reza Shah’s Negotiations with Britain

This paper questions how the Iranian government formulated the issue of Bahrain. Was Bahrain itself an "issue" or was it merely seen as a "tool" to gain concessions from Britain?

Data for this paper is obtained from archival documents held at the British Foreign Office.

The issue of Bahrain and its separation from Iran was an important issue between Iran and Britain. The British hoped for a solution increased with Reza Shah reconciliatory approach to the problem. However, the negotiation lasted more than five years. Expecting the support of the Soviet Union and the League of Nations in vain, the talks failed to resolve the issue. The British remained indifferent to various plans offered by Abdolhossein Teymourtash, Reza Shah's representative. Findings show that with the strong resistance of the United Kingdom in recognizing Iran's sovereignty over Bahrain and the British actions to gain oil concessions (revision of the Darcy contract), finally, Iran's policy tended to gain concessions against the transfer of Bahrain.