Anglo-Persian Agreement facts for kids

The Anglo-Persian Agreement was a deal between Great Britain (also known as Britain) and Persia, which is now called Iran. This agreement was mainly about who had the right to drill for oil in Persia.

The "agreement" was put forward by Britain's top diplomat, Lord Curzon, to the Persian government in August 1919. However, it was never officially approved by the Majlis, which is the Iranian parliament.

What Was the Anglo-Persian Agreement?

This agreement was a plan by Britain to gain a lot of influence over Persia. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, the new Soviet government stopped trying to control parts of northern Iran. They called the old Russian way of controlling other countries "Tsarist Imperialism".

With Russia stepping back, Britain became the main powerful country in the region. Lord Curzon hoped to make Iran a "client state" of Britain. This meant Iran would be an independent country but would rely heavily on Britain and follow its lead. Britain wanted to make sure no other big country could gain power in Iran.

What Did the Agreement Say?

The main part of the document gave Britain special access to all oil fields in Iran. This was very important because oil was becoming a vital resource for countries around the world.

What Britain Promised

In return for oil access, the British promised to help Persia in several ways:

• They would provide weapons and equipment for a new Persian army. This army would also be trained by British experts.
• Britain would give Persia a loan of 2 million British pounds. This money was meant to help Persia make important changes and improvements.
• They would also change the rules for taxes on goods coming into or leaving Persia.
• Finally, Britain promised to survey the land and help build new railroads in Persia.

How Was the Agreement Received?

Many people outside Britain and Persia criticized the agreement. They saw it as Britain trying to control Persia too much. This kind of control is sometimes called "hegemonic". The United States, for example, was especially critical because it also wanted access to Iran's oil.

Because of this strong opposition, the Anglo-Persian Agreement was never fully accepted. The Majlis, Iran's parliament, officially rejected it on June 22, 1921.

See also

• Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907