Some Historical Events in the Modern History of Iran

Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz

The Second Qajarid king of Iran, Fath Ali Shah
On 21st of the Islamic month of Zil-Hijjah in 1212 AH, the 2nd Qajarid king of Iran, Fath Ali Shah, assumed power following the death of his childless uncle, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar. During his 37-year misrule, Iran lost extensive territories in the Caucasus to the Russians, in Iraq to the Ottomans, in Khorasan to the Afghans, and in Baluchestan to the British. Bahrain in the Persian Gulf was seized by pirates, who set up the Aal-e Khalifa minority regime on this island. The pleasure-loving Fath Ali Shah did not even provide military aid to his energetic son, Crown Prince Abbas Mirza, who after retaking from the Russians what is now known as the Republic of Azerbaijan, was badly defeated and forced to concede more parts of Iran.

The Iranian city of Bushehr on the Persian Gulf was seized by the invading British forces
. On December 9,1856 AD, the Iranian city of Bushehr on the Persian Gulf was seized by the invading British forces after long battles lasting.several years with the local Iranian defenders. The British plan was to stop Iran from retaking the Khorasani city of Herat from joint Afghan-British occupation. The British, taking advantage of the weakness of the Qajarid dynasty soon spread their control over all of southern Iran. This situation lasted till 1913, when Iranian resistance started and continued during World War I under the leadership of Raees Ali Delvari, forcing Britain to move its diplomatic, commercial, and military headquarters to the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain, which had been earlier seized from Iran.

Iran's first Constitution, drafted by the newly formed parliament, was signed by the Qajarid king
On December 28, 1906 AD, Iran's first Constitution, drafted by the newly formed parliament, was signed by the Qajarid king, Mozaffar od-Din Shah. It initially contained 51 articles, and later 107 more articles were added to it. The constitution was tampered with and changed constantly, especially during the despotic rule of the British-installed and American-backed Pahlavi regime. Passages pertaining to people's rule and the Islamic shari'ah were eliminated, while clauses were added to spread corruption and depravity in society for weakening the people's cultural values in order to strengthen the repressive rule of the Pahlavis. Following the triumph of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 that ended domestic despotism and foreign hegemony, the Iranian people voted for a popularly drafted constitution to replace the obsolete one.

Invasion of Iran during the World War I
On October 31, 1914 AD, during World War I, the Iranian government announced neutrally. The political fragility of the Qajarid dynasty and the chaotic state of internal affairs, coupled with the bellicose and expansionist policies of the world powers, however, dragged Iran into the war. It was invaded by the British, Russian, and Ottoman forces, and major damages were inflicted upon the country.
On November 13, 1915 AD, the Iranian national parliament was dissolved before completing its 3rd round, upon the orders of the last Qajarid king, Ahmad Shah. This unwarranted measure was taken after Ahmad Shah’s meeting with the British and Russian ambassadors to Iran. At the time, Russia and Britain were trying to drag Iran into World War I against Germany. British forces were deployed in southern Iran, while Russian forces controlled the north. Following the movement of Russian forces toward Tehran, several Iranian parliamentarians formed the National Defence Committee in protest to the violation of Iran's territorial integrity. But, they fell short of any major accomplishment because Iran’s national sovereignty was at its lowest ebb due to the inefficiency of officials. Following the revolution in Russia in 1917, Russian forces withdrew from northern Iran, but the British forces replaced them, and continued their stranglehold on the country until removal of the Qajarid dynasty and installing of the Pahlavis as their new agents.

The Treaty of Erzurum between Ottomans and the Iranian Qajarid
On 19th of the Islamic month of Zil-Qa'dah in 1238 AH, a treaty was signed between the representatives of the Iranian Qajarid and the Ottoman Turkish governments in Erzurum in eastern Turkey, following the defeat of the Sultan Mahmoud II by the forces of Fath Ali Shah. As per the treaty, Iranian relinquished its claims to Sulaimanieh in northeastern Iraq and the western part of the Zuhaab region, and in return the Ottomans recognized Iran's sovereignty over Khoramshahr Port, Khizr Island, and the western bank of Arvandroud River, in addition to Iran's shipping right in this waterway – also known as Shatt al-Arab.

The Capitulation Bill
On October 12, 1964 AD, the Capitulation Bill was approved by the rubber-stamp parliament of the Pahlavi regime, granting US military personnel immunity from trial in Iran's courts on committing any crime. This was an infringement of Iran's national sovereignty and an insult to the Iranian nation. Hence, the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), rejected it outright and in a historical speech revealed the sinister dimensions of this humiliating bill, while castigating the British-installed Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for his oppression of the people and subservience to the US. This keynote speech led to the detention and exile of the Imam on November 4, 1964.

Liberation of the Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, Greater and Lesser Tunbs
On November 28, 1971 AD, with the withdrawal of British occupation troops from the three Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Greater and Lesser Tunbs, Iran restored its sovereignty over these Persian Gulf islands. These three Iranian islands which were liberated from the British occupation on this day, maintain a strategic status and position due to being located at the entry of the Strait of Hormoz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Britain had seized these islands in 1887.

Student’s Day in Iran
On December 6, 1953 AD, three Iranian students were shot and martyred by the Shah’s forces at Tehran University for protesting the visit to Iran of the then US vice-president, Richard Nixon, three-and-a-half months after the US-coup that toppled the government of Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Mosaddeq and restored the fugitive Shah to power. The day after this tragic incident, Nixon was shamelessly awarded an honorary PhD by the regime at Tehran University. This day is thus marked as Student’s Day in Iran.

The concession for drilling of Iran’s oilfields was given to the British capitalist
On 9th of the Islamic month of Safar in 1319 AH, the concession for drilling of Iran’s oilfields was given to the British capitalist, William Knox D’Arcy, by the unqualified Qajarid ruler, Mozaffar od-Din Shah, without considering the grave consequences to Iran's national interests. Almost three decades after the Constitutional Movement, D’Arcy’s contract was annulled in 1351 AH in view of its unfair nature.