Role of India in the Formation of Political Relations between Iran and Britain during the Period of Fath Ali Shah Qajar

With the beginning of Qajar period, the competition between European powers for acquiring world resources increased, and inevitably, Iran was also dragged into the political circle of the world. British settlements in India and the expansionist policies of Russia and France (the most important colonial competitors of Britain) opened a new chapter in Indo-Iran relations and for a few decades transformed the Indian sub-continent into the main centre of Iran’s relations with Europe. Iran, situated in the neighborhood of India, augmented the greed of Russia and France on the one hand by encouraging them to establish political relations with Iran, while on the other hand, it convinced the British to pursue a more active diplomacy towards Iran. The revolt of Indian people against the British under the leadership of Tipu Sultan, the support of Afghan Emir, Zaman Shah, for this revolt and the French attempt to instigate Iran in the matter related to the developments in India made the political situation of southwest Asia more complex. In this article various aspects of Iran’s relations with the British government in India have been assessed.