Stalin once implemented a strategy to annex Iran into the Soviet Union.

Modern Iran is a multi-ethnic country. Its two largest minorities are Kurds and Azerbaijanis, who live mainly in the north. The Russo-Persian Wars of the 19th century saw the historic Azerbaijani lands divided between Persia (modern-day Iran) and the Russian Empire. Divided Azerbaijanis have dreamed of unification ever since, and during World War II the Kremlin tried to exploit this sentiment.

The Soviet plan was to annex the northern regions of the country into the Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan and at the same time support the separatist aspirations of the Iranian Kurds.

Operation Consent

In August 1941, the Soviet Union and Britain occupied Iran. Despite its claims of neutrality in global conflicts, Iran’s ties to Nazi Germany seemed too close. German intelligence was operating in the country, and Iran’s vast oil reserves had the potential to sustain the Axis for a long time to come. The Allies could not allow that.

After the military raid, also known as Operation Countenance, Iran surrendered, German citizens were expelled from the country and the assets of German companies were confiscated. Iran quickly came under Allied control.

But Iran was not yet completely occupied. Britain held the south while the Soviets controlled the north. These were the lands known as South Azerbaijan – Iranian territories with 5 million Azerbaijanis, as well as smaller areas inhabited by Kurds.

Resurrection of the South Azerbaijani people

Although in 1941 the Soviet Red Army suffered successive defeats against the Wehrmacht (German Army), leading to Nazi Germany advancing all the way to Moscow, the Soviet leadership never forgot about its interests in Iran.

Officially, the territories controlled by the Soviet Union and Britain remained ruled byshah(King of Persia). In practice, however, Iran's influence was restrained by the occupying governments.

From the first days of deploying troops in northern Iran, the Soviet Union embarked on a large-scale political, economic, cultural, and ideological campaign to win the hearts and minds of the local population. A key role in this effort was played by the similarly-origin Soviet Azerbaijanis, who sent hundreds of specialists to Iran.

First, Soviet engineers improved sanitation and health care in the cities and villages of northern Iran. Then came the work of ideologists.

In Tabriz, the region's main city, the first Azerbaijani-language newspaper Za Rodinu (For the Motherland) was published. A publishing house was established to publish books by local authors.

Theaters and operas are also performed in the local language, plus numerous festivals and large-scale cultural events. Schools teaching in the Azerbaijani language have also begun to open.

This area has never seen anything like it.

Beware of Sovietization

Fearing criticism from Western countries, the Soviet Union pursued a cautious policy in South Azerbaijan. Communist Party officials were not allowed to “sovietize” the region, but simply supported the locals.

To win over the locals, the BureauThe Caucasus Muslim Council was established in the Soviet Union in April 1944. This body took an active part in managing the religious life of Azerbaijanis in Iran.

The Soviets hinted, either subtly or cleverly, that life in the Soviet Union would be better than in Iran.

State for Azerbaijanis in Iran

According to the agreement with the Iranian government, the Allied forces were to withdraw from Iran within a few months after World War II. The British complied, but the Soviet Union still sought to prolong its presence there.

Moreover, even though the Nazis had been defeated, the Soviet Union was still exploring opportunities to intervene more deeply in the war for Northern Iran. Soviet propaganda was stepped up, as were intelligence operations aimed at undermining support for theshah

The Soviet Union's position in the region became increasingly strong, to the point that the leader of Azerbaijan in the Soviet Union, Mir Jafar Bagirov, who supported the dream of “Unity for Azerbaijan”, dared to declare “If you want to know the truth, Tehran is also an ancient Azerbaijani city”.

In 1945, the Kremlin decided to link the region's economy with the Soviet Union. More specialists were sent there to do business and search for oil wells.

In November 1945, all control over northern Iran finally slipped from Tehran's hands. The Democratic Party of Iranian Azerbaijan, backed by Soviet troops, seized key administrative institutions in the country and disarmed Iranian police and military units.

On December 12, 1945, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was proclaimed and led by Sayyed Ja'far Pishevari. Although nominally an "autonomous republic" within Iran, it was in fact a satellite of the Soviet Union.

A state for the Kurds

In January 1946, immediately after the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, another state entity was established in northern Iran, the Kurdish Republic of Mahabad.

Small Kurdish territories fell under Soviet control along with South Azerbaijan, despite the fact that since 1941 the Soviet leadership had decided not to use the Kurdish “card”, but instead to concentrate all its efforts on the Azerbaijani issue.

Only at the final stage, in the fall of 1945, did Mir Jafar Bagirov garner support for the creation of the Kurdistan People's Party, which later, on February 22, 1946, came to power in the Kurdish Republic of Mahabad.

Unlike South Azerbaijan, the governments in Mahabad had to rely on Soviet military power.

End of the road

Iran, of course, did not want to lose its northern territories. When the Soviet army blocked access to these areas, Tehran decided to pursue diplomatic channels.

Iran, accusing the Soviet Union of expansionism, made its first formal complaint to the United Nations Security Council. Iran's move received strong support from both the United States and Britain.

Under great pressure from the United Nations and Western countries, the Kremlin realized that its Iran journey had come to an end. Stalin decided to make a deal.

After months of negotiations, the Soviet leadership received assurances from Iranian Prime Minister Ahmad Qavam that the Soviet Union would be allowed to develop oil concessions in northern Iran after its withdrawal. However, this commitment was never fulfilled.

After the Soviet withdrawal in May 1946, the people's republics were in a precarious position. Without support, they still tried to resist the advancing Iranian army.

But Stalin's farewell message to the Azerbaijanis and Kurds was nothing short of a cold shower on their aspirations: “As Prime Minister, Qavam has the right to send troops to any part of Iran, including Azerbaijan, so further armed resistance is impractical and unwise.”

In November–December 1946, the Iranian army took control of the northern territories without a fight, dissolving both self-proclaimed republics. The leaders of the Mahabad Republic were executed, while the leaders of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic managed to escape to the Soviet Union.

However, they did not receive the welcome they had hoped for. Some ended up in labor camps on charges of “espionage,” while the premature head of state, Sayyed Ja’far Pishevari, died in a car accident orchestrated by the Soviet secret service, and was later buried with honor in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Hoang Pham