Mikhail Cherepanov about the mysterious invasion Soviet army in 1941 to the territory of Iran

Photo: Pravda, November 1940

76 years ago, on June 22, 1941, the Soviet Union was invaded by fascist troops. Corresponding Member of the Academy military history Mikhail Cherepanov, head of the Museum-Memorial of the Great Patriotic War of the Kazan Kremlin, in today's column of Realnoe Vremya talks about the critical situation for our country that developed in the prewar years. Our columnist especially focuses the reader's attention on the actions of Soviet soldiers and officers in Iran in the first days of the war.

Controversial myths

On June 22, the most tragic event took place in the history of our country and the whole world. Our peaceful cities were subjected to the most severe bombardment of the Nazi Luftwaffe. The invasion of the enemy began, which considered the physical destruction of three-quarters of the population of the Soviet state as its main goal. Regardless of religious, national or social sign, only for the fact that 196 million people occupied the territory that Hitler needed to implement the crazy Nazi ideas.

About what were the plans of the main Nazi in relation to our grandfathers and great-grandfathers and how feasible they were - a separate conversation. The Day of Remembrance and Sorrow is an occasion to reflect once again on what caused the mass death on our territory not only of military personnel, but also civilians. Why was our Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army unable to hold not only the borders of the motherland, but also half of its European part? Were the reasons for our defeat in 1941-1942 the result of subjective factors, political mistakes of the country's leadership, as historical encyclopedias and textbooks still claim? Or there were other reasons that did not depend on the specific decisions of I.V. Stalin and his entourage? Who bears the burden of responsibility for the tragedy of the Great Patriotic War and World War II? Is it only on Hitler's Nazism? And most importantly, are we insured today against a repetition of such a tragedy?

Agree that without a real understanding of the causes of what happened 76 years ago, we will not be able to prevent the recurrence of the apocalypse. And the saddest thing is that all the attempts of honest historians to find an answer to questions asked suppressed not by scientific counter-arguments, but by active secrecy and silence real facts stories. It seems that it is beneficial for someone to leave more and more new generations of Russians in the dark, to feed them with myths and slander against the pre-war and war generations of fellow citizens.

Let us recall at least one of these myths, still living in textbooks: “Our country was not prepared at all to repel the aggression of enemies, to defend itself. We had neither experience in the army nor military equipment for this. And in general, 40 thousand military personnel of the USSR were repressed (it is hinted - shot) by Stalin himself. And on the other hand, it is argued that it was our country that was the forge of cadres of Nazi Germany and the initiator of World War II.

I will leave these and similar assertions on the conscience of domestic and foreign historians who have been defending doctoral dissertations on this slander for decades. I understand that it takes dozens of monographs to refute both approaches in the interpretation of history. I propose to digress somewhat from the traditional disputes over details and numbers, to look at the situation from a completely different angle. With the one that for 76 years was not exactly classified, but taken out of the scope of serious scientific research. But, in my opinion, it is precisely in it that the main reasons for certain actions of the leadership of our country, which led to the tragedy of June 1941, lie.

Judge for yourself.

The key to understanding is in the Syrian city of Aleppo

Coincidentally, these days the attention of our and world media is focused on the tragic events in the Syrian town of Aleppo. The blood of civilians is shed there today. A tenth Russian soldier died there. There - a kind of center of struggle against the world forces of terror. And few people know that it was in Aleppo that an event took place that became decisive in the chain of subsequent political steps of the leaders of different countries, which led to the tragedy of June 22, 1941.

It was in Aleppo on March 20, 1940 that a meeting of representatives of the French and British military commands was held, at which it was noted that in June 1940 20 military airfields in the Middle East would be built. Their main target is the Soviet oil fields in the Caucasus and the Caspian coast.

Flight Berlin - Baku

This decision was not spontaneous. This is evidenced by the statements and actions of French and British politicians over the past few months.

Let's follow their history.

• On October 31, 1939, the Minister of Supply of Great Britain declared: "If the Russian oil fields are destroyed, not only Russia, but also any of its ally will lose oil." The French finance minister echoed him: "The French Air Force will be bombarded from Syria with oil exploration and refineries in the Caucasus."
• On December 14, 1939, the USSR was expelled from the League of Nations in connection with the attack on Finland.
• On January 8, 1940, the German consulate in Geneva confirmed: "England intends to deliver a surprise blow not only to the Russian oil regions, but will also try to simultaneously deprive Germany of Romanian oil sources in the Balkans."
• On March 8, 1940, the British Chiefs of Staff presented a report to the government entitled "The Consequences of Military Operations Against Russia in 1940."
• February 1940. General J. Jonot, commander of the French Air Force in Syria, put it clearly: "The outcome of the war will be decided in the Caucasus, and not on the Western Front."
• On January 11, 1940, the British embassy in Moscow reported that the action in the Caucasus could "bring Russia to its knees in the shortest possible time."
• On January 24, 1940, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff of England, General E. Ironside, presented a memorandum: "We will be able to provide effective assistance to Finland only if we strike at Baku in order to cause a serious state crisis in Russia."
• On February 1, 1940, Iranian Minister of War A. Nakhjavan expressed a desire to purchase 60 bombers and 20 fighters from England, expressing his readiness to use them to destroy Baku.

English bombers in Abadan (Iran)

In Ankara, the British, French and Turkish military discussed the use of Turkish airfields for the bombing of the Caucasus. Baku was expected to be destroyed in 15 days, Grozny - in 12, Batumi - in 2 days. Even on the day of the German attack on France, its military informed Churchill that they were ready to bomb Baku.

• On March 30 and April 5, 1940, the British carried out reconnaissance flights over the territory of the USSR.
• 06/14/1940 German occupation of Paris. Capture French documents General Staff. Soviet intelligence receives confirmation from German sources: a bombing of the Caucasus is being prepared.

So, I.V. Stalin received information from his intelligence about a real threat to his only oil field. What actions should have been taken by any head of state in his place?

Opening of the Transcaucasian Front

• Spring 1940. The Main Directorate of the Air Force of the Red Army prepared a list of military-industrial facilities in Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Palestine.
• Summer 1940. The Transcaucasian Military District was reinforced with 10 divisions (5 infantry, tank, cavalry and 3 aviation divisions). The number of aircraft has increased from a few dozen to 500. Combined arms armies have been formed and deployed: the 45th and 46th on the border with Turkey, the 44th and 47th on the border with Iran.
• 11/14/1940 Soviet-German negotiations in Berlin ended with an agreement on joint operations against Great Britain. German troops were to be transferred through the USSR to Turkey, Iran and Iraq.

• April 1941 British commandos captured the port of Basra in Iraq. In record time, a plant was set up there to assemble cars that arrived from the United States with ready-made kits.
• On May 5, 1941, the Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Red Army reported: “The available forces of the German troops for operations in the Middle East are expressed in 40 divisions. For the same purposes, up to two parachute divisions are concentrated with the likely use in Iraq.
• On May 10, 1941, Hitler's deputy for the party, Rudolf Hess, brought to the British government a proposal to end the war and reach an agreement on the basis of anti-communism. England was supposed to give Germany freedom of action against Soviet Russia, and Germany agreed to guarantee England the preservation of her colonial possessions and dominance in the Mediterranean.
• May 15, 1941 Order No. 0035 “On the fact of unhindered passage of the Yu-52 aircraft across the border” was signed. Hitler's envoy brought a letter to Stalin about his desire to continue the war with Great Britain.
• On May 19, 1941, Timoshenko and Zhukov proposed to Stalin the idea of ​​a preventive strike against Germany.
• On May 24, 1941, Stalin gave the command to five western military districts: "Don't rock the boat!"
• May 1941 3816 mobilized in Azerbaijan alone civilians to ship to Iran.
• Beginning of June 1941 In the Central Asian Military District, with the participation of representatives of the General Staff of the Red Army, command-staff exercises "Concentration of a Separate Army to the State Border" were held.

• July 8, 1941 Directive of the NKVD of the USSR and the NKGB of the USSR No. 250/14190 “On measures to prevent the transfer of German intelligence agents from the territory of Iran.”
• On July 12, 1941, the USSR and Great Britain signed an agreement on the division of occupation zones in Iran.
• 08/23/1941 Signed: Directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme Command No. 001196 "To the Commander of the Forces of the Central Asian Military District on the formation and entry into Iran of the 53rd separate army" and Directive of the Supreme Command No. 001197 "To the Commander of the Forces of the Transcaucasian Military District on the deployment of the Transcaucasian Front and the introduction of two armies to Iran."
• 08/25/1941 three armies of the Red Army (44th, 47th and 53rd separate), 1264 aircraft and the Caspian military flotilla numbering over 350 thousand soldiers and officers cross the border of Iran with the task of "destroy 3 divisions of Iranians in case of resistance."
• On September 17, 1941, the Red Army entered the city of Tehran.
• 02/23/1942 The first column of 50 vehicles was sent by the British through Iran to the Soviet Union.

Let's clarify the scale of our forces in Iran:

• 47th Army (63rd and 76th mountain rifle divisions, 236th rifle, 6th and 54th tank divisions, 23rd and 24th cavalry divisions, 2 battalions of a motorcycle regiment, 2 anti-aircraft artillery battalions, 2 self-propelled artillery battalions);
• 44th Army (20th and 77th mountain rifle divisions, 17th mountain cavalry division, motorized regiment, anti-aircraft artillery regiment, 2 fighter aviation regiments);
• 53rd Army (39th, 68th, 83rd mountain rifle divisions);
• 4th cavalry corps (18th and 44th mountain cavalry divisions, 2 anti-aircraft artillery battalions, 2 fighter aviation regiments).

Red Army in Iran

Official losses of the Red Army in Iran from August 25 to August 30, 1941 - about 50 people were killed, about 100 were wounded and shell-shocked, 4000 were evacuated due to illness; 3 aircraft lost, 3 more - did not return for unclear reasons.

Let me remind you that in a note from the USSR government to the government of Iran on August 25, 1941, it was mentioned that “56 German intelligence agents penetrated Iranian military enterprises under the guise of engineers and technicians ... turning the territory of Iran into an arena for preparing a military attack on the USSR.”

It turns out that against 56 German intelligence officers on August 25, 1941 (when the Nazis were already near Smolensk), Stalin sent 3 personnel, well-armed and experienced army battles outside our country? Or did we deploy troops against another enemy?

And most importantly: when was it done?

Veteran of the war, Chistopolets Fayzrakhman Galimov (died in 2004) in his book “Soldier's Roads” (Kazan, 1998) writes: “Our 83rd Mountain Rifle Division from June 22 to October 1941 participated in military operations on Iranian territory, and I worked in Iran as a scout from May 15 to September 1941. From the beginning of 1940, in the intelligence school, we studied the Persian language, the geography of this country, the life of the population - up to dressing in Iranian clothes. Major Muhammad Ali worked with me. To our questions - why all this is needed, the instructors answered: to catch and interrogate defectors.

In May 1941, the school was alerted. We received an order: to go to the Nakhichevan region. They began to prepare us for crossing the Iranian border. In early June, I ended up in Iran. At first I went with fishing rods, and when I got to Tehran, I became a "shoemaker". Went to a merchant who worked for Soviet intelligence. He provided me with documents. Then the path lay to the Caspian Sea, where a meeting with a mentor was scheduled. After meeting with the major, I learned that the purpose of my throw was to prevent a possible German landing. The agents reported that the Germans were preparing explosions in the oil fields of Baku. Our scouts found a boat with explosives on the shore. Having contacted the headquarters, they received an order to destroy the object, and on June 21 the boat was blown up. For this operation, I was awarded the medal "For Military Merit". The award sheet says so: "For saving the oil fields of Baku."

Fayzrakhman Galimov

June 22, at 5.00, when German planes were already bombing Soviet cities, our 83rd Mountain Rifle Division crossed the border and deployed on Iranian territory. Our regiments marched across the waterless steppe, crossed sandy and rocky deserts. Some could not stand the heat and fainted. The horses also fell. Among the fighters appeared sick with cholera. In Tabriz, Tehran, Kum (Moku) we were met by empty streets - the residents were sitting at home. Eliminating the German landings, we went to the Caspian coast and waited for a new order, but it never came ... The division campaign ended in early September. The patients were taken by sea to the USSR. Many soldiers returned home with tropical diseases.

During the operation, I combined the duties of an artillery battery platoon commander and an interpreter for the division commander. In 1942, the 83rd Mountain Rifle Division was sent to the combat area near Tuapse. The main contingent Soviet troops stayed in Iran until 1946.

Maybe the veteran messed something up? Could the 83rd Mountain Rifle Division already be in Iran on June 22, if the official order to start the offensive was received only on August 25?

Oddly enough, F. Galimov is right. Evidence of this is the fate of the commander of the 83rd mountain rifle division, Major General Sergei Artemyevich Baidalinov. He led the division from May 1939 and was arrested in northern Iran on July 12, 1941, sentenced to death for violating NPO order No. 00412. Shot down immediately. He was rehabilitated on 10/30/1958. This is recorded in the book of Doctor of Historical Sciences A.A. Pechenkin "The highest command staff of the Red Army during the Second World War" (Moscow, 2002).

Sergey Baidalinov

How could the division commander be on Iranian territory in July 1941? If you carefully study the documents of the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, everyone will be convinced that long before the official start of the Iranian campaign, the soldiers and officers of the 83rd Mountain Rifle Division "disappeared without a trace."

So, junior lieutenant, commander of a rifle platoon of the 150th mountain rifle regiment, Vafin Irshod Sagadievich, born in 1915, disappeared in April 1941 (TsAMO, op. 563783, file 14).

With Lieutenant Syutkin Kuzma Vasilievich, platoon commander of the 67th artillery regiment, in which he served since November 1938, contact has been lost since June 1941 (TsAMO, op. 11458, file 192).

About the Red Army soldier of the 428th Mountain Rifle Regiment Delas Ivan Arsentievich, born in 1921, "no news since June 26, 1941" (TsAMO, op. 18002, d. 897).

The Red Army soldier of the same regiment Juraev Numon went missing in July 1941 (TsAMO, inventory 977520, file 413), and Chalbaev Mikhail Fedorovich, born in 1921. died on August 20, 1941 (TsAMO, op. 977520, d. 32).

Spiridonov Nikolai Spiridonovich, born in 1915, from the village of Vazhashur, Kukmorsky district, who served as a Red Army soldier since October 4, 1939, died in Iran. Last letter from him dated July 22, 1941 (TsAMO, inventory 18004, file 751).

Soldiers from other divisions of the 53rd Separate Army also went missing in July 1941.

Captured in Iran

To the Indian Ocean

You can call it errors in the records, but it can be considered proof of the correctness of our fellow countryman Galimov. What does it say? The fact that the introduction of Soviet troops into Iran began not on August 25, 1941 to ensure lend-lease, but on June 22 in order to show Hitler that we "do not succumb to provocations" and in accordance with the agreement reached in November 1940 in Berlin, protecting our oil from threats from the UK.

Already on June 22, 1941, the English ambassador to Russia, Cripps, asked Molotov about the expediency of the presence of units of the Red Army on the border with Iran.

According to official documents, on August 25, 1941, we, ignoring the real threat of the Wehrmacht to our capitals, tried at all costs to secure the road to receive 50 British cars ... in 1942. Would they have been useful in the event of the fall of Moscow and Leningrad? Couldn't our army alone have been able to cope with the defeat of three Iranian divisions?

Everyone will have their own answer to these questions. But it's time to finally name real reason our defeats on the western frontier in June 1941: Hitler would not have dared to attack the USSR without the unequivocal support of Great Britain. And Stalin did not consider him his enemy, because he saw a real threat to his oil-bearing regions from future allies - England and France.

And no less important reason for the entry of our troops into Iran, I think, was the desire of Russia since tsarist times to build a canal from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf. What could be more important than direct access to the Indian Ocean, bypassing the Turkish straits and the Suez Canal? Today, this project is again being discussed at the highest level between the leaders of our states.

Other facts in favor of the stated hypothesis can be found in the Museum-Memorial of the Great Patriotic War in the Kazan Kremlin.

And no less important reason for the introduction of our troops into Iran, I think, was the desire of Russia since tsarist times to build a canal from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf

Mikhail Cherepanov, photos provided by the author

Reference

Mikhail Valerievich Cherepanov- Head of the Museum-Memorial of the Great Patriotic War of the Kazan Kremlin; Chairman of the Association "Club of Military Glory"; member of the editorial board of the Book of Memory of the Victims political repression RT. Honored Worker of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Military Historical Sciences, Laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Tatarstan.

• Born in 1960.
• Graduated from Kazan State University them. IN AND. Ulyanov-Lenin with a degree in Journalism.
• Supervisor working group(from 1999 to 2007) Books of Memory of victims of political repressions of the Republic of Tatarstan.
• Since 2007 he has been working at the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan.
• One of the creators of the 28-volume book "Memory" of the Republic of Tatarstan about those who died during the Second World War, 19 volumes of the Book of Memory of the Victims of Political Repressions of the Republic of Tatarstan, etc.
• Creator eBook In memory of the Republic of Tatarstan (list of natives and residents of Tatarstan who died during the Second World War).
• Author of thematic lectures from the cycle "Tatarstan during the war years", thematic excursions "Feat of countrymen on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War".
• Co-author of the concept of the virtual museum "Tatarstan - Fatherland".
• Member of 60 search expeditions to bury the remains of soldiers who fell in the Great Patriotic War(since 1980), Member of the Board of the Union search parties Russia.
• Author of more than 100 scientific and educational articles, books, participant of all-Russian, regional, international conferences. Columnist of Realnoe Vremya.

The Iranian operation - a joint British-Soviet operation of the Second World War to occupy Iran, codenamed "Operation Consent" (eng. Operation Countenance) was carried out from August 25, 1941 to September 17, 1941. Its purpose was to protect the British-Iranian oil fields from their possible capture by German troops and their allies, as well as to protect the transport corridor (southern corridor), along which the allies carried out lend-lease supplies to the Soviet Union. These actions were taken due to the fact that, according to the assessments of the political leadership of both the UK and the USSR, there was a direct threat of involving Iran on the side of Germany as an ally in World War II.

Shah of Iran Reza Pahlavi refused Britain and the Soviet Union their request to station their troops in Iran. Motivating its participation in this military operation against Iran, the Soviet government referred to paragraphs 5 and 6 of the 1921 Treaty between Soviet Russia and Iran in force at that time, which provided that in the event of a threat to its southern borders, the Soviet Union had the right to send troops to the territory of Iran. During the operation, Allied forces invaded Iran, overthrew Shah Reza Pahlavi, and took control of the Trans-Iranian Railway and Iran's oil fields. At the same time, British troops occupied the south of Iran, and Soviet troops occupied the north.

In 1942, the sovereignty of Iran was restored, power passed to the Shah's son, Mohammed.

Mechanized units of the Red Army cross the Iranian border, 25 Aug. 1941 A young member of the crew of a BA-20 light armored car (judging by the shape of the hatch cover).

The entry of units of the Red Army in the city of Tabriz. Light tank T-26… Infantry on foot…

Artillery - horse-drawn ...

... cavalry - as it should be ...
In the foreground is a British military vehicle marked "57"

The headquarters of the Red Army, housed in the only hotel in Qazvin.

Alright, the allies have arrived!"

Meeting of the Soviet avant-garde with the British "flying column" from the area of ​​Qazvin. The Soviet side is represented by the BA-10 medium armored car, the British - by the Gurkha arrows on wheels. And, of course, military correspondent Allan Michie, who captured the “meeting on the military road” for history.

The soldiers of the Iranian army, who laid down their arms (on August 29-30, the unit received an order from the government of the country to stop resistance), are still in full combat equipment, watching the advance of the Soviet-British troops. On the faces of the soldiers, hostility or depression is not very noticeable ..

The command of both sides is trying to find a common language. It is possible that the commanders of the Red Army who served in Central Asia could learn English, given the traditional clash of British and Russian/Soviet interests in the region. The Soviet fighter on the left is armed with a PPD submachine gun.

Soviet infantry, armed with Tokarev self-loading rifles, near the city of Qazvin. By the way, according to the characteristic facial features of many fighters, natives of the Central Asian republics of the USSR are easily identified, the percentage of which, apparently, was high in parts of the Red Army in Iran.

Let's smoke, towaristch!

The local population of Qazvin.

British war correspondent Alan Michi talks with the commander of the Red Army, who was wounded in a skirmish with Iranian troops. Although, according to the general assessment, the resistance was episodic, the irretrievable losses of the Red Army for the entire operation amounted to about 40 people.

Official photographs on the topic: "Soviet-British Brotherhood in Arms".

The Soviet and British command bypass the parade units of the Red Army units at a joint parade in Tehran on the occasion of the successful completion of the operation, Sept. 1941. In a word, the oil fields of Iran were taken under control by the Allies, and southern way for deliveries to the USSR under Lend-Lease is open and safe.

Trying to draw Iran into the war against the USSR, Germany offered Reza Shah weapons and financial assistance. Already in 1938-1939. Germany occupied the first place in Iran's foreign trade. It accounted for 41.5% of Iranian foreign trade, in 1940-1941. - 45.5%. Industrial, railway, as well as factory equipment was exclusively supplied to the country. In turn, Germany demanded from its "ally" to transfer to its disposal the Iranian air bases, for the construction of which German specialists had direct relation. In the event of an aggravation of relations, a coup d'état was being prepared. To this end, in early August 1941, the head of German intelligence, Admiral Canaris, arrived in Tehran under the guise of a representative of a German company. By this time, under the leadership of an Abwehr officer, Major Friesch, special combat detachments were formed in Tehran from the Germans living in Iran. Together with a group of Iranian officers involved in the plot, they were to form the main strike force of the rebels. The speech was scheduled for August 22, 1941, and then postponed to August 28. However, the coup did not take place. On the basis of Article 6 of the Soviet-Iranian Treaty of 1921, the USSR sent its troops into the territory of Iran, handing the country's government a note, which motivated the need for this act. Prior to this, the Soviet Union three times, on June 26, July 19 and August 16, 1941, warned the Iranian leadership about the activation in the country German agents and the growing influence of Germany. Note that the entry of Soviet troops into the territory of Iran was agreed upon and approved by the British government.

On August 25, 1941, the troops of the 44th Army under the command of Major General A.A. Khadeev and the 47th Army under the command of Major General V.V. Novikov entered the territory of Iranian Azerbaijan. And on August 27, troops of the Central Asian Military District crossed the Soviet-Iranian border along a thousand-kilometer stretch from the Caspian Sea to Zulfagar. This operation was carried out by the 53rd Separate Central Asian Army, which was headed by the commander of the district, Lieutenant General S.G. Trofimenko. The armies left Turkmenistan for the territory of North-Eastern Iran, having the task of entering the points by September 1: Bandar-Gyaz, Gorgan, Shakhrud, Sebzevar, Mashhad. The Caspian military flotilla contributed to the mission. On August 31, an assault was landed in the Iranian Astarta area as part of the 105th mountain rifle regiment of the 77th mountain rifle division with the 563rd artillery battalion. Soviet gunboats ("Bakinsky Rabochiy", "Markin", "Soviet Dagestan") entered the ports of Pahlavi, Nowshahr, Bendershah. In total, more than 2.5 thousand paratroopers, several hundred horses, more than 20 guns were transported and landed. According to one source, Soviet units entered Iran with fighting, clashing with units of the Iranian army. According to others, "the army of Reza Shah did not even show signs of its existence."

At the same time, British troops entered Iran from the west and south. They moved in two columns: the first - from Basra to Abadan and the oil fields in the Ahvaz region; the second - from Baghdad to the oil fields in the Zaneken area and further north.

On August 29, in the Senendej area, the British advanced units met with the Soviet troops, and two days later, another grouping came into contact with the Soviet units a few kilometers south of Qazvin. According to an earlier agreement, a zone with a radius of 100 km around Tehran remained unoccupied by the allied forces.

On August 27, Ali Mansour's cabinet resigned. A new government was formed, headed by Forugi, which ordered the armed forces of Iran to refrain from resisting the Soviet and British troops. On August 29-30, on the orders of the Shah, the Iranian army capitulated. First, the troops that acted against the British laid down their arms. The next day, the troops opposing the Red Army did the same. According to the reports of the Soviet command, the people of Iran generally reacted calmly to the entry of the Red Army, and individual representatives of the local population even tried, taking advantage of the situation, to divide the land of the landlords among themselves and take away their enterprises from the owners.

Soon after that, on September 8, an agreement was concluded between the USSR, Britain and Iran, which provided for the withdrawal of Iranian troops from a number of regions and the occupation of these regions by Soviet (in northern Iran) and British (in southwestern Iran) troops. In this situation, Reza Khan was forced to abdicate and leave the country. Note that official London played a significant role in the abdication of Reza Shah. In any case, shortly after the departure of the Shah from Iran, British Prime Minister W. Churchill said: "We put him on the throne, we removed him." W. Churchill did not dissemble. Reza Khan took the Shah's throne as a result of a coup d'état on February 21, 1921. The coup plan was developed by the commander of the British occupation forces in Iran, General E. Ironside, Colonel Smyse and the English consul in Tehran, Howard. Colonel of the Persian Cossack units Reza Khan was also involved in its implementation. The operation was led by English military instructors. After the coup, Reza Khan was appointed division commander Iranian Cossacks, and in April 1921 received the portfolio of Minister of War. In October 1923 he became Prime Minister and in February 1925 he was appointed Supreme Commander. At the end of 1925, the Constituent Assembly proclaimed him the hereditary Shah of Iran under the surname Pahlavi.

After the abdication and departure of Reza Shah, his eldest son Mohammed Reza was elevated to the throne. Official representatives of Germany and its allies, as well as most of their agents, were interned and expelled. Nevertheless, in 1943, according to some estimates, there were still about 1,000 German agents in Iran. Many of them were disguised as local residents and were fluent in Persian. In particular, SS Hauptsturmführer Julius Schulze, who served as a mullah in the Isfahan mosque.

Let us mention that with the arrival of Soviet troops in Northern Iran, most of the white Russian emigrants living in these areas moved south, to the British occupation zone. Meanwhile, a significant number former officers Imperial Army turned to the Soviet embassy with a request to send them to the front as privates.

On January 29, 1942, the Treaty of Union between the USSR, Great Britain and Iran was signed. The allies pledged to "respect the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Iran." The USSR and Britain also pledged "to defend Iran with all the means at their disposal against any aggression on the part of Germany or any other power." For this task, the USSR and England received the right "to maintain on Iranian territory land, sea and air force in such quantity as they consider necessary". In addition, the allied states were granted an unlimited right to use, maintain, protect and, in case of military necessity, control all means of communication throughout Iran, including railways, highways and dirt roads, rivers, airfields, ports, etc. Within the framework of this agreement, deliveries of allied military-technical cargo from the ports of the Persian Gulf to the Soviet Union began to be carried out through Iran.

Iran, in turn, undertook obligations "to cooperate with allied states by all means available to it and in all possible ways so that they can fulfill the above obligations" .

The treaty established that the troops of the USSR and England should be withdrawn from the territory of Iran no later than six months after the cessation of hostilities between the allied states and Germany with its accomplices.

It should be said that the control of the situation in the country by the Anglo-Soviet coalition played a significant role in choosing a place for a secret meeting of the heads of three states: the USSR, Great Britain and the USA. It took place on November 29, 1943 in Tehran. AT last years many articles have been published on this topic. Nevertheless, many moments of this meeting still remain unknown due to the unavailability of some documents. In this regard, it is interesting to dwell in more detail on one episode related to joint work special services of the USSR, Great Britain and the USA to disrupt the German intelligence operation "Long Jump".

As you know, information about the planned meeting between Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt became known to German army intelligence as early as September 1943. They came from a covert Abwehr agent at the British Embassy, ​​codenamed Cicero. Based on this information, the headquarters of Admiral Canaris developed a plan for Operation Long Jump, aimed at eliminating the leaders of the Big Three. For this purpose, a special detachment of SS commandos was sent to Tehran. The transfer of saboteurs was carried out in two groups: by parachute to the area where the Qashqai tribes who supported the Germans lived, and across the border with Turkey under the guise of tea merchants.

According to the original plan, German saboteurs were supposed to penetrate the Soviet embassy from different sides through the drains. However, this information was intercepted, and all sewer openings around the building were taken under guard.

After the failure of an attempt to storm the Soviet embassy, ​​the Abwehr developed new plan: put five tons of explosives in a pit dug under a building. To do this, the Germans approached Father Michael, a Russian priest of the only Orthodox church in Tehran at that time, and offered him a huge amount of 50,000 English pounds for cooperation. Earlier, back in tsarist times, Father Mikhail worked in the church at the embassy and knew the layout of the building thoroughly. However, the calculation of the priest's rejection of Soviet power was not crowned with success. After talking with German agents Father Mikhail came to the Soviet embassy and reported about the planned sabotage. Four days later, two Abwehr officers who came to meet the priest were arrested. Two days later, they "died while trying to escape." Soon several more saboteurs were arrested or killed in a shootout. The remnants of the detachment numbering about 10 people were blocked by a special group of the NKVD at the Armenian cemetery. None of the saboteurs did not want to surrender, and they were all killed during a five-hour battle.

Finally, when the Germans realized that all possibilities had been exhausted, a last, desperate plan was developed. According to ex-spy Alex Schmidt, who worked in 1943 in the German trade mission in Istanbul, the authorship of this operation belonged to the "best saboteur of the Reich" Otto Skorzeny. According to the plan, it is supposed to rent a light aircraft and, after loading it with explosives, send it to the Soviet embassy. But this action was not crowned with success. The suicide pilot was late. He arrived in Tehran only at the beginning of December, when everything was already over.

The presence of allied troops in Iran, the neutralization of German agents, the establishment of control over the main communications in the country significantly changed the military-political situation on the Soviet southern borders. The threat to the most important oil region- Baku, which produced about three-quarters of all oil produced in the USSR. In addition, the military presence of the allies had a deterrent effect on Turkey. And the Soviet command got the opportunity to remove part of the forces from the southern borders and use them on Soviet-German front.

In the autumn of 1941, when there was a danger of the enemy troops breaking through to the Caucasus through Rostov and Kerch Strait, the 44th and 47th armies were advanced there. Three rifle divisions, two tank brigades, several artillery regiments, two aviation divisions, a large number of special parts and divisions. The 17th and 24th Cavalry Divisions withdrew Western Front. The 388th Rifle Division was transferred to Sevastopol. Also in active army sent seven divisions, 327 marching companies, 756 tank crews.

From the composition of the 53rd Separate Central Asian Army from Iran, the 18th, 44th and 20th cavalry divisions departed from Iran to the Soviet-German front, and then the 83rd Turkestan mountain rifle division and the 4th cavalry corps.

The rest of the Soviet troops were in Iran throughout the war, ensuring the security of the southern borders, as well as the functioning and protection of transit communications in Iran.

At the end of 1941, American specialists were brought to Iran. On September 19, 1941, British Prime Minister W. Churchill noted in a letter to Stalin: “I attach great importance to the issue of opening a through route from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea, not only along railway, but also along the highway, to the construction of which we hope to attract the Americans with their energy and organizational skills ". In October 1942, the Americans, dissatisfied with the poor state of Iranian communications restored by the British, took control of the work of ports, airfields, railways and highways in In March 1943, control over the operation of the Trans-Iranian Highway and the ports in the Persian Gulf also came under the jurisdiction of the United States. Note that the increase in American personnel in the country did not have any agreement on this matter with the Iranian government. Nevertheless, this action was not met with opposition from the Kavamaes-Saltane cabinet, which took a course to encourage the American presence in the country.Thus, he tried to balance dependence on the Soviet Union and Great Britain.By 1944, the composition of the US army in Iran increased to 30 thousand people.We should pay tribute to American specialists They carried out the reconstruction of the ports in Khorrem shehr, Bandar-Shahpur and Basra; aircraft and car assembly plants were built in the port of Khorramshahr, and a car assembly plant was built in the port of Bushehr. They assembled Willys, Dodges, Studebakers and other car brands. In the middle of 1943, enterprises also started operating in Shuaiba (Iraq) and the town of Andimeshk, which lies on the Trans-Iranian railway line. Moreover, in almost three years, the latter assembled and sent to the USSR about 78 thousand cars. Local residents worked at all car assembly enterprises, the administration of the factories consisted of Americans and British, and Soviet military specialists accepted the products. From the beginning of 1942, approximately 2,000 vehicles from the Persian Gulf began to enter the USSR, and from 1943, from 5 to 10,000 vehicles per month. The first column of 50 vehicles departed for the Soviet Union on February 23, 1942 from Bushehr via Julfa (Iranian and Soviet).

P. Demchenko, a road troops specialist, recalls: “I will remember those 2,500 kilometers along narrow mountain roads, through steep passes with countless blind turns, through a hot desert shrouded in thick dust that no headlights can penetrate. pace: faster, faster - the front does not wait, it’s even harder there. We barely handed over the cars and cargo in Julfa, immediately on the way back ...

There were accidents, sabotage, bandit raids. Many of our graves were left on that path. Iranians and Arabs who helped us also died. The Western allies did not do without casualties either.

Especially hard work was assembled and transferred to the Soviet Union aviation technology. According to the recollections of the participants in the events, the assembly, for example, of the Boston bombers in Margil, was first carried out by the British, and then with the involvement of Soviet military specialists. Work began at 3-4 o'clock in the morning and ended at 11 o'clock in the afternoon. At other times, it was physically impossible to work: the cars got so hot under the sun that the workers got burned. Nevertheless, in just one year, from July 1, 1943 to June 30, 1944, about 2900 aircraft were assembled and sent to the USSR.

Aircraft built by the Allies were transported either on cars in disassembled form, and then assembled at Soviet aircraft factories, or by air to Soviet airfields. To ferry aircraft, the 6th ferry-fighter aviation regiment was formed under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Pishchenkov, and later another one - the 71st Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Gerasimov. Both regiments were manned by experienced pilots who had front-line experience behind them.

To speed up the transfer of aircraft, two air bases were created - in Margil and an intermediate one - in Tehran. In the Azerbaijan SSR, airfields were also prepared for the reception of combat and transport aircraft and their maintenance, as well as training courses for pilots for combat use American and British fighters and bombers.

It should be noted that the transfer of aircraft and the delivery of goods by air were extremely difficult. Cases of accidents and crew deaths are known. So, for example, in 1944, a Soviet military transport aircraft under the command of Senior Lieutenant Ilya Filippovich Afanasyev crashed while landing at the Tehran airport. Six crew members and passengers on board were killed. They were buried in the Russian Orthodox cemetery in Tehran. In total, according to the recollections of Russian emigrants, 15 people were buried, "over whom Russian women wept bitterly, sincerely pitying the young Russian guys who had gone to a foreign land."

In general, the Persian Corridor played a significant role during the war years: 23.8% of all military cargo addressed to the USSR under the Lend-Lease program was transported through it. From total number to the ports of the Far East - 47.1%, to Arkhangelsk - 22.7% and directly to the ports of the Arctic - 2.5%. Almost two-thirds of the total number of all cars delivered during the Second World War passed through Iran. In connection with the successful arrival of cargo along the southern route through the Persian Gulf, and on April 15, 1944, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, a large group of American officers was awarded Soviet orders and medals. General Connolly, who was in charge of all this work, was awarded the Order of Suvorov II degree.

After the Allies opened a second front in France, deliveries to the Soviet Union via the southern route gradually began to wane. The assembly of equipment was curtailed, and Soviet, American and British specialists went home. From the autumn of 1944 to August 1945, all Lend-Lease deliveries were already carried out only through the northern and Far Eastern ports of the USSR.

Far from belittling US assistance to the Soviet Union during the Second World War, it still seems important to note the following.

The Lend-Lease Act, under which assistance was provided to the USSR, was adopted by the US Congress in March 1941. It was officially called the US Defense Assistance Act.

According to this act, the head of state received the authority to transfer, exchange, lease, lend or otherwise supply military equipment, weapons, ammunition, equipment, strategic raw materials, food, provide various goods and services, as well as information to the government of any country, "defense which the President deems vital to the defense of the United States." And military equipment, weapons and other items supplied under Lend-Lease, according to agreements concluded by the US government with the states that received assistance, destroyed or consumed during the war, were not subject to payment after its end. The remaining goods after the war, which could be used for civilian needs, were supposed to be paid in whole or in part on the basis of long-term loans provided by America. The United States could demand that the military materials be returned back, although, as A.A. Gromyko, former Soviet ambassador to the United States in 1943-1946, the American government has repeatedly stated that it will not exercise this right.

It should be said that the countries that entered into agreements with the United States, in turn, assumed obligations "to assist in the defense of the United States and to assist them with the materials that they had, to provide various services and information."

In this way, the United States "compensated" its costs at the expense of supplied materials: strategic raw materials, precious metals, equipment for military factories, etc., as well as various military services. In turn, the supply of goods and "compensation" contributed to the expansion of production and the receipt of large profits. As a result, by the end of the war, the national income of the United States was one and a half times higher than before the war. The total capacity of industrial production increased by 40% compared to 1939.

Meanwhile, the emergence of zones of British and Soviet influence in Iran gave rise to an ideological confrontation. In October 1941, the People's Party of Iran, the successor to the Iranian Communist Party, was formed by political prisoners released from prisons. In 1942, an illegal conference was held in Tehran, at which he was elected steering Committee in the amount of 15 people. He acted until the election at the first party congress (summer 1944) of the Central Committee. The main points of the party program were: the implementation of democratic freedoms, the strengthening of the political and economic independence of Iran, the establishment of friendly relations with all allies, the implementation of laws on labor and social insurance, etc. By the first congress, the People's Party consisted of 25 thousand members, of which 75% were workers , 23% - intellectuals and 2% - peasants.

In turn, in September 1943, Seid Zia-ed-Din was brought to Iran by the British. After his flight from Iran in 1921, he spent many years in Palestine. A few days after his arrival, Seyid Zia was elected a deputy of the fourteenth Majlis from the city of Yazd and headed the Vatan (Motherland) party. At the beginning of 1945, he organized a new party - Eradee Melli (National Will), which took an openly anti-Soviet position.

By the mid-1940s, Iran's economic and military influence USA. Especially intensive American penetration took place in 1942-1943. On October 2, 1942, on the basis of an agreement concluded for two years, American advisers in the Iranian gendarmerie, headed by Colonel and then General Schwarzkopf, began their activities. In 1944 and 1946, the agreement that regulated their stay and activities was extended for the next two years. According to the agreement signed in 1943 by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Syed, on the employment of American officers to lead the Iranian gendarmerie, the head of the mission of American officers was also the chief commander of the Iranian gendarmerie. His immediate duties included all management and all control over the gendarmerie. Under Article 21 of the treaty, the Iranian government undertook not to hire any other foreign officers to serve in the gendarmerie. An American uniform was even introduced for the Iranian gendarmerie. By the beginning of 1947, the number of Iranian gendarmerie was 23 thousand people, reduced to 16 regiments. In addition, it was planned to create three more new regiments and one reserve regiment.

On March 21, 1943, the American military mission headed by Major General Ridley began its activities in the Iranian army. Later, this post was taken by General Grow, under whose leadership a plan was developed for the reorganization of the Iranian army. American specialists were also appointed as advisers to the Iranian police, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Food and Irrigation.

American positions in the field of foreign trade have also strengthened. Suffice it to say that in 1944-1945 the United States took second place after India in Iran's foreign trade turnover. Their share was 23.3%, the share of India, in turn, was 30%.

The extraordinary activity of the Americans in the country could not but arouse concern among the British authorities. It especially increased in connection with the intention shown by Qavam to raise the issue of revising the concession of the Anglo-Iranian oil company(AINK). This was already a threat to the main British position in Iran. In this situation, Great Britain launched a struggle to remove the pro-American cabinet of Kawama, which ended with the resignation of his cabinet. On December 10, 1947, during a vote of confidence in the Majlis, Qavam did not receive a majority and was removed from the post of prime minister. Ibrahim Khakami, known for his connections with the British, was appointed as the new prime minister, whom Qavam replaced in early 1946.

However, the Anglo-American rivalry did not stop there.

On June 8, 1948, Hakami was forced to resign. The pro-American former minister of finance in the cabinet of Qavam Khazhir was appointed prime minister. Already in November 1948, he was replaced by Saed, and in April 1950 by Mansur. After the resignation of Mansour in June 1950, the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Army, General Razmara, was appointed Prime Minister of Iran.

In an effort to bring the country out of a severe economic and political crisis, Razmara turned to the United States with a request to provide Iran with a loan, and to Great Britain to increase deductions to the Iranian treasury from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Negotiations with both countries did not lead to the desired result. Under these conditions, Razmara was forced to turn to the USSR with a proposal to resume trade between the Soviet Union and Iran. The agreement signed on November 4, 1950 provided for mutual deliveries of goods within 12 months, starting from November 10, 1950, on the basis of the Soviet-Iranian trade agreement of March 25, 1940. At the same time, Razmara banned anti-Soviet propaganda in Iran, as well as the broadcast of the Voice of America program. In early 1951, the Iranian government canceled an agreement with the American company Overseas Consultants, Inc., and invited American economic advisers to leave Iran.

In February 1951, in an interview with France Presse, Razmara stated that he had informed the American ambassador in Tehran, Grady, that from now on Iran would no longer insist on American aid. Razmar's government also decided to withdraw early from the United States a group of Iranian officers who were sent to America to get acquainted with the system of organization of the American armed forces.

The sharp turn in Iran's policy provoked a negative reaction from Western countries. Attempts to resolve the problem by diplomatic means were unsuccessful, and forceful methods of solving it were chosen.

On March 7, 1951, General Razmara was killed in the courtyard of the Tehran mosque, where he was supposed to attend a religious ceremony.

After the assassination of Razmar, the former Iranian ambassador to the United States, Hossein Ala, was appointed Prime Minister of Iran. However, the strike movement that unfolded in the country against the influence of Western oil companies, which resulted in the shooting of demonstrators in Abadan and Bandar-Mashur, led to the resignation of his government. On April 29 of the same year, the leader of the nationalist " National Front Mohammed Mosaddegh, who proclaimed the fight against foreign interference in the affairs of the country.

The main point of the program of the government of Mossadegh was the implementation of the law approved by the Majlis on March 15, 1951 on the nationalization of the oil industry. On May 2, the Shah of Iran signed a decree on the nationalization of the oil industry. The Iranian National Company (INNC) was established and took over AINC's enterprises. At the beginning of October 1951, 300 British specialists were removed from Abadan and Khuzistan, in January 1952 all British consulates were closed, and in the autumn of 1952 the Iranian government announced the severance of diplomatic relations with England. All its representatives were expelled from Iran.

Of course, the policy of the Mossadegh cabinet, aimed at the nationalization of Iranian oil, caused a negative reaction from the United States and Britain, whose companies were carrying huge losses. An appeal to the Hague International Court of Justice and the UN Security Council, as well as a boycott of Iranian oil, had no effect. Mohammed Reza's attempt to remove the prime minister from power also failed. It ended with mass protest demonstrations in Tehran and other cities of the country, the use of weapons by the Shah's troops and numerous casualties. Moreover, the actions to eliminate Mossadegh were accompanied by a massive campaign of struggle against the "growing threat of communism in Iran" and in favor of strengthening the Shah's power and "strengthening the throne."

Attempts were also made to physically eliminate the prime minister, in particular, in October 1952 and February 1953.

In the second half of 1953, another action to overthrow the Mossadegh government was nevertheless crowned with success. The country has been committed coup d'état. On August 19, a military group led by General Zahedi arrested Mossadegh and other ministers and brought them to justice. Many organizations and newspapers were destroyed and closed down, mass arrests were made. The members of the parties, including the communist party, who survived the repressions, were forced to leave the country and continue their work abroad.

Subsequently, the American publicist E. Tully wrote that the coup d'etat in Iran in August 1953 was prepared by the head of the CIA A. Dulles, the US Ambassador to Iran L. Henderson and the Shah's sister Ashfar Pahlavi. The plan to overthrow Mossadegh was detailed at a secret meeting during A. Dulles' "rest" in the Alps in the first half of August 1953. According to Japanese researcher T. Ono, the CIA allocated $19 million to support this operation. The group of CIA agents who arrived in Tehran to implement the developed plan was led by former employee Office of Strategic Services Kermit Roosevelt ("Kim") is the grandson of former President T. Roosevelt and a certain "Monty" Woodhouse from British intelligence. Also active in the coup were Brigadier General U.N. Schwarzkopf and the head of the group of American advisers to the Iranian gendarmerie, Colonel K. Mackland.

In the operation, which the Americans dubbed "Ajax", and in London - "Kick", a bet was made on pro-Shah officers opposed to Mossadegh.

Shortly before his death, Woodhouse told some details of this operation. According to the intelligence officer, his first act was to send "a whole plane of rifles" to Iran. After that, he gave millions of Iranian rials to the Rashidian brothers, who, in right moment they were supposed to bring crowds of declassed elements to the streets of Tehran. It was they who were considered as the main spring of the coup, as the main weapon for the pogroms of the left and democratic forces.

Mossadegh was arrested in December 1953, sentenced to three years in prison, after which he lived under police surveillance in a village near the capital until his death in 1967.

In December 1953, they were restored diplomatic relations with England and created an international oil consortium. It included the five largest American oil monopolies, which received 40% of the shares, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (40% of the shares), the French oil company and the Anglo-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell.

In 1955, Iran became full member Baghdad Pact (later the CENTO bloc). This position obliged him, as a junior partner and guardian of the West's oil interests in the region, to build up his combat potential. In this regard, Washington, within the framework of government military assistance (at the first stage, free of charge), provided Tehran in 1950-1974. armaments worth 335 million dollars. On March 5, 1959, the Iranian government concluded a bilateral military agreement with the United States, according to which America, in particular, received the right to send its troops to Iran in the event of direct or "indirect aggression." Shortly before the signing of this agreement, the Iranian government "frozen" the negotiations between the USSR and Iran on the conclusion of a Soviet-Iranian treaty of friendship and non-aggression, which had begun at its own suggestion. This, in turn, led to a serious deterioration in Soviet-Iranian relations.

In the 1960s, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi launched a program of economic and social reforms(according to the Western model), and also led a policy of rapprochement with neighboring countries, including the USSR.

According to A.A. Gromyko, Pahlavi and his entourage understood perfectly well that regardless of the sympathies or antipathies of the Iranian leadership, it was necessary to maintain correct relations with the Soviet Union. One of the means to ensure the maintenance of Soviet-Iranian relations at a certain level was the Shah's visits to Moscow. According to A.A. Gromyko, they were of a good-neighborly nature, but "under conditions of alertness and a solid dose of suspicion."

In 1963-1974, agreements on economic, technical, scientific, and cultural cooperation were signed between the USSR and Iran, and a permanent Soviet-Iranian commission on economic cooperation was created. Military cooperation was also established. So, according to official data, from 1967 to 1980, 320 representatives of the SA and the Navy visited Iran on the basis of government decisions and by order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 2249 of October 17, 1969.

Characteristic of the Soviet-Iranian military-technical cooperation was that the Shah did not send his military in large numbers to be trained in the USSR (by September 1980, only about 500 Iranian military personnel had been trained in the USSR). The entire process of training national personnel took place on the spot. For this, according to eyewitnesses, in three cities - Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, where Soviet military equipment and weapons were concentrated, there were excellent training bases with comfortable classrooms and training grounds, good living conditions for Soviet military instructors and factory warranty service specialists. Moreover, the Iranians were against the introduction in their country, as was usually practiced in other states, of the apparatus of the Senior Group of Soviet military specialists, and all issues related to their stay were assigned to the authorized Main Engineering Directorate of the USSR State Committee for Foreign Economic Relations (GIU GKES) . At various times, the post of the authorized representative of the State Inspectorate of the GKES was occupied by Major General of Aviation G. Zhukov (1973-1978) and Colonel I. Svertilov (1978-1982). Only one senior officer was subordinate to the Commissioner. From 1973 to 1980, this work was carried out by Colonel F. Arlamenkov, Colonel V. Pronichev and Lieutenant Colonel N. Kireev.

Our specialists, who were connected to the office of the authorized SMI, were located mainly in two cities, Isfahan and Shiraz. In Isfahan there was a repair plant for "Shilki", where specialists from the manufacturer from Ulyanovsk worked for overhaul and the military - for current repairs. acted in Shiraz The educational center, where the Iranians were trained to serve the BMP -1. There were about 10 Soviet military specialists with translators here. In addition, 2 "guarantor" for infantry fighting vehicles and 1 "Mazovets" worked in Tehran.

For the overhaul of artillery weapons, armored and automotive equipment in the vicinity of Tehran, with the technical assistance of the Soviet side, a huge Babak factory complex was built. It housed modern workshops and laboratories, a testing ground for tracked and wheeled vehicles, a shooting range for firing artillery. According to the former senior engineer of the apparatus authorized by the SMI GKES (1977-1980), reserve colonel N. Kireev, about 15 Soviet civilian specialists from Ukraine worked on it.

The Soviet Union supplied Iran mainly with equipment for land, engineering troops and artillery. Including: BMP-1, BTR-60, BTR-50PK, ZSU-57, ZSU-23-4 V, V1 Shilka, 137 mm M-46 guns, 130 mm guns, Strela-1M MANPADS ", MAZs, tank bridge layers, track mine trawls, etc.

The main purchases of tanks were carried out in England (mainly tanks "Chieftains" and "Scorpions"), Germany and mainly in the USA (tanks M47, M48, M60A1, etc.). In 1977 alone, the latter sold weapons to Tehran worth $5.8 billion. In general, from 1971 to 1977, US-Iranian military contracts amounted to $20.8 billion. The United States also received considerable dividends from cooperation with Iran in the field of industry and mining, primarily oil.

It is interesting to note that since October 13, 1964, all Americans (and not only diplomats) in Iran have enjoyed the right of extraterritoriality. Whatever they did, they could not be judged by Iranian law. By this time, there were about 60,000 Americans in Iran, including about 30,000 military advisers.

On October 25, 1964, Ayatollah Khomeini, who led the opposition, speaking in Qom on this issue, said: “The Iranian people have been put in a position worse than an American dog. After all, if someone crushes american dog, he will be held accountable, even if the Shah of Iran does it. But if an American chef crushes the Shah of Iran, the highest person in the state, in his car, no one will be able to intervene ... ".

New political course Shah on the implementation of the "social revolution" did not have the desired result. The growing social and political crisis in the country led to a new aggravation of the situation and provoked protests from part of the Muslim population and its leaders. Among the active opponents of the reforms was Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who was expelled from Iran in 1964. On August 17, 1978, he issued a fatwa (the highest religious order) calling for the overthrow of the Shah's regime.

Since that time, a mass anti-government movement has unfolded in the country. Under his pressure, on January 16, 1979, the Shah fled from Iran, and on February 1, Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile to the country. Four days later, he formed a government and proclaimed Iran an Islamic republic. The new government introduced Sharia law and severed relations with the West. The USA and the USSR were declared "devilish powers" hostile to Islam. "America is worse than England, England is worse than the Soviet Union, and the Soviets are worse than both of them!" Khomeini said. True, the reasons for "hatred" were different. If the Islamists viewed the United States simply as an all-encompassing "evil", then they saw the Soviet Union and the countries of the Eastern Bloc as the main ideological rival in the struggle against Western imperialism. After all, the USSR supported many secular (that is, non-religious) national liberation movements in the East, especially those of the left. Supporters of Khomeini tried to replace them with their religious liberation movement, based on the ideas of Shiite fundamentalism.

Special place Israel occupied the camp of Iran's enemies. Moreover, even US policy was viewed by Khomeini through the prism of Zionism. According to him, there were "two Israels": "Israel, which is nearby, and Israel, which is in America." On this occasion, he said: “The entire economy of the country is now in the hands of Israel; it, to put it correctly, was captured by Israeli agents. Most of the factories and enterprises are controlled by them: television, the Arj plant, Pepsi-Cola, etc. e. Now even eggs are imported through Israel... Our country has become a base for Israel. Our bazaar is also in its hands." For such an assertion, the imam had grounds - Jewish merchants and Baha'i merchants were the main competitors of Shiite merchants. However, in our opinion, the problem was not only competition between traders of different faiths. This was just the tip of the iceberg.

The underwater part was based on the "eternal" struggle between Muslim and Jewish fundamentalism for their exclusivity. At the same time, despite the sharp anti-Israeli rhetoric of the leaders of the Islamic revolution, Jerusalem maintained rather close secret contacts with Tehran at the level of top military and political leadership. It was Israel that supplied Iran (often in exchange for oil) with communications equipment, radar installations, spare parts for American equipment, etc., thereby maintaining Tehran's connection with the "Great Satan".

As for the merchants in Iran, after the victory of the Islamic revolution, their activities acquired a broad anti-state character. Speculation flourished goods prohibited by Islam, surprisingly, but with the connivance (or assistance) of the authorities. Here, for example, is how the former head of the First Main Directorate (foreign intelligence) of the KGB of the USSR, Lieutenant-General L.V., describes the situation with regard to tobacco products. Shebarshin, then a KGB resident in Tehran:

"... miracles are happening in Tehran - step aside from the queue, from that shop where the unfortunate smoker cannot buy his pack of cigarettes, step back and admire the street vendor's tray - American and English cigarettes, Dutch tobacco, everything is fresh and bright, lay out the daytime At first, someone timidly tried to launch an attack on American cigarettes: "America, the great Satan, everything that comes from there is a product of Satan!", But this campaign died down, few supported it The practical people looked at things differently, as the practical people of all countries and times look at the difficulties of their own people.

The benevolent foreign observers were disappointed by the bearded guards of the Islamic revolution, seemingly boundlessly devoted to the ideals of Imam Khomeini. It was they who organized a large-scale smuggling trade in the devilish American potion, put it on a grand scale, created an inviolable network for selling cigarettes at monstrously high prices. Machine guns, pious slogans, burning eyes with a fanatical brilliance and ... shameless speculation!

There is no good reason to blame only the Jews or the Baha'is for all the trade sins in Iran, especially since another side that remained in the shadow all the time was interested in the heyday of the "black market" - the Western intelligence services. Support for the smuggling trade was an integral part of the plan aimed at destabilizing the situation in the country.

The destabilization of the "crisis crescent" (South Asia), according to the plans of the US-British strategists, was supposed to lead to the collapse of the USSR with the help of the Islamic factor. Islamic fundamentalism, the first harbinger of which was Khomeini's Islamic Revolution in Iran, was to turn into a battering ram aimed at the southern borders of the Soviet Union, especially the Soviet republics of Central Asia. According to a member of the Politburo of the Gorbachev era, A.N. Yakovlev, this plan has borne some fruit. “After the overthrow of the Shah in Iran,” Yakovlev wrote, “when Islamic fundamentalists came to power, the entire Middle Eastern region turned out to be destabilized. Moscow and joining the world of Islam in order to ride two camels at the same time. Local bais skillfully fueled nationalist and anti-Russian sentiments. So far without open anti-communism. So far, under the fanfare of loyalty to Moscow ". By the way, fears that Islamic fundamentalism will overwhelm the whole of Central Asia became one of the reasons for the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan.

Speaking about the plans of the Anglo-American intelligence services to "swing the crisis crescent", it is interesting to note that at the very beginning of the Islamic Revolution, in January 1978, the Ettelaat newspaper, one of the country's leading newspapers, loyal to Shah Reza Pahlavi, published an article that subjected question Khomeini's piety as the leader of the radical Islamic opposition. Moreover, she stated that Khomeini is a British agent. The article caused a scandal in religious circles and led to demonstrations, clashes with police and human casualties. Nevertheless, to this day, many journalists and analysts believe that Khomeini was an agent of the British special services. Thus, according to the journalist Geoffrey Steinberg, "Khomeini was a longtime tool of British intelligence, and the Islamic Revolution was a key component of Bernard Lewis's plan." A similar opinion is expressed by another journalist, Joseph Brewda. "The Iranian regime of Shiite clerics (ayatollahs) was brought to power British intelligence with the support of his supporters in the American Carter administration,” he writes. “From that time on, Britain and the United States continued to secretly help Iran, while the ostentatious public efforts to isolate this regime served only to maintain visibility in the eyes of their own peoples.” Of course, in such statements, especially to people who learned subsequent the events that took place in Iran are hard to believe, but ...

The triumphant Islamic Revolution forced the Carter administration to withdraw a contingent of 40,000 military advisers from Iran. The Iranian government refused to accept the new US ambassador in protest against American interference in Iran's internal affairs.

This was followed by events that effectively put an end to Carter's presidency.

On November 4, about 400 armed Iranian students, the so-called "followers of the course of Imam Khomeini," broke into the US embassy and captured 63 Americans. They stated that they would release the hostages only after the Shah was extradited to his homeland for trial, and if the money stolen by Pahlavi and his family was returned. The attempts of the messenger Carter, former minister Justice Ramsey Clark, to negotiate were unsuccessful.

In response, the United States froze Iranian assets in its banks and their branches in other countries, imposed an embargo on trade with Iran, and sent a number of warships, including aircraft carriers, to the Persian Gulf.

Three weeks later, Ayatollah Khomeini ordered the release of eight black diplomats and five of the seven women. In his speeches on radio and television, he said that the US embassy in Tehran was a "den of spyware" and that he would "not be able to control" the actions of the students if the Americans attempted to free the hostages by force.

Nevertheless, the Carter administration went on to conduct a military operation to free the embassy staff. She was codenamed "Eagle's Claw" and was scheduled to begin on April 25, 1980. According to a carefully developed plan from the Nimitz aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, two squadrons of the Delta special forces (40 people each) and a detachment of 13 fighters of the 10th Special Forces Group ("Green Berets") were thrown into Iran by eight helicopters. "). 100 km from the Iranian capital, the helicopters were supposed to refuel from six transport aircraft located here and head to Tehran, in the vicinity of which they would land troops. Next, the commandos in cars were to reach the embassy and take it by storm. The evacuation of the liberated and the paratroopers was planned to be carried out by the same helicopters that landed at the stadium located opposite the embassy. Measures have also been prepared. neutralization of communication channels of Iranian guards and the use of psychotropic weapons.

However, the operation, calculated to the smallest detail, failed at the very beginning. It started on the appointed day, but with a long delay. Then, for technical reasons, two helicopters failed. The remaining helicopters were not enough for further action. Moreover, when taking off in the sands, one of the helicopters hit a wing with a blade transport aircraft C-130. The ensuing explosion caused casualties - five crew members and three helicopter pilots. The Americans were forced to "turn off" the operation, and Khomeini's statement about the possibility of executing the hostages forced them to abandon further forceful resolution of the situation.

January 20, 1981 when new president US Ronald Reagan took office, it was announced that "Carter's efforts to free 52 US hostages were successful." A week after the inauguration, a welcoming ceremony was held on the South Lawn of the White House, to which relatives of eight people who died during the unsuccessful attempt to rescue the hostages were also invited. It would seem that everything is clear, but there is interesting version that the operation to free the American hostages in Tehran was designed to fail from the very beginning. Her "failure" was planned to compromise the Carter administration and secure a presidential election victory for his rival Reagan. Moreover, according to some reports, the Republicans really used the situation with the hostages in their own selfish interests. It is known, for example, that the Reagan-Bush team during the "Iranian crisis" specifically transferred money through the "International Bank of Credit and Commerce" (IBCC) to bribe the Iranian government so that it would delay the release of the American hostages and thereby contribute to the fall of the Carter administration. This operation was codenamed "October Surprise". It is also indicative that CIA Chief of Operations John McMahon. who was responsible for the implementation of the Eagle's Claw, not only was not fired or transferred to another job, but was also promoted, becoming the CIA Deputy Director for Operations (he held this post from June 10, 1982 to March 29, 1986). In contrast to the immediate head of the operation, Colonel Charles Beckwith, who was retired ahead of schedule. According to journalist Bob Woodward, the wreckage of American helicopters that crashed in the Iranian desert due to a sandstorm became "a symbol of Carter's impotence."

What was the price of resolving the crisis? Under an agreement between the countries, the United States refused any interference in the affairs of Iran, unfrozen Iranian assets in banks in the amount of 8 billion dollars. Part of this money was used to pay off Iran's debts, while 2.9 billion remained at the disposal of the Iranian government. In addition, the United States handed over to Iran military property worth $400 million, as well as various equipment and goods previously purchased under contracts with Iran, worth $500 million.

It should be said that the position of the USSR in the situation with the hostages was rather restrained. At the same time, Khomeini's statement about a "spy den" under the roof of the US embassy was supported by the official Soviet media. As for cooperation between Iran and the USSR in the military field, it was continued, although it was reduced to a minimum. The number of Soviet military specialists was also significantly reduced - to 2 people by the middle of 1980. From 1982 to 1987, there was only one senior military specialist in the country, and during 1987, a group of 13 officers and ensigns. Despite cooperation, periodic anti-Soviet propaganda campaigns and revelations were carried out in Iran, albeit on a minimal scale. In this regard, the trial of the arrested leaders of the Iranian pro-communist party "Hehbe Tudeh Iran" is indicative. In early May 1983, an interrogation of Tudeh leaders was shown on Iranian television, including Nureddin Kiyanuri, the general secretary of the party, who had held this post since 1941. They publicly confessed to preparing a conspiracy to overthrow the government of the Islamic Republic and complete control and financial dependence of the organization on the USSR. The self-exposure of the Iranian "communists" caused a surge of anti-Soviet sentiment, which culminated on May 4 in a large demonstration in Tehran.

Among the slogans chanted by the demonstrators were: "Death to the Tudeh Party! Foreign spies to be expelled, communist spies to be hanged!" On the same day, Iranian Prosecutor General Hussein Mousavi Tabrizi officially announced the dissolution of the Tudeh party. Through the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the Soviet government was told that 18 employees of the Soviet embassy in Tehran should leave the country within 48 hours.

It was public policy between countries. But there was also an unofficial one, connected, in particular, with secret deliveries of Soviet weapons to Iran.

Details of one such deal came to light from documents (invoices, insurance policies, business correspondence, etc.) presented to The New York Times by Jean-Louis Ganzer, a professional arms dealer. According to these documents, negotiations on prices and conditions for the delivery of Soviet weapons began on March 17, 1986. On August 1, a contract for the supply of "industrial equipment and spare parts" was signed. Moreover, according to the documents issued by the North Korean embassy in Vienna, the goods were intended for the DPRK. The weapons were purchased from Soviet warehouses in Warsaw, and the deal was brokered by the Swiss insurance company Wuppesal and Praetor Trading Limited, owned by West German businessman Peter Mulak, who lived in the United States (Coral Gables, Florida). The transfer of "industrial equipment" was carried out to Iran via Cyprus on a DC9 transport aircraft chartered in Israel. Financial transactions were carried out through the West German "Deutsche Bank", the Swiss "Union Bank" and the English "Commerzbank". In total, according to Jean-Louis Ganzer, as a result of this operation, Iran purchased 400 SAM-7 (Strela-2) portable anti-aircraft missiles, 100 launchers, rockets for anti-tank grenade launchers and shells. The profits and commissions, according to the arms dealer, amounted to a huge amount: the USSR received $25,000 for each SAM-7 missile, while the Iranians paid $43,902 for it. Part of the money went to banks, insurance companies and brokers.

After the death of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989, the moderate leader Hashemi Rafsanjani came to power, heading for the country's neutrality. In June 1989, he traveled to Moscow, and then to Budapest and Sofia with proposals for economic and military cooperation. In the military field, it was continued, primarily in matters of training personnel for the armed forces of Iran. As of January 1, 1995, the number of Iranian servicemen in Soviet military universities amounted to 632 people, of which 167 people graduated from military universities, 100 people from air defense, 173 people from the Air Force and 192 from the Navy. The number of military specialists has also increased directly on the territory of Iran. Until 1991, another 141 Soviet military specialists visited the Iranian armed forces. Cooperation continued in the field of deliveries of military equipment and weapons to Tehran.

At the beginning of March 2001, during official visit Iranian President Mohammad Khatami to Moscow, a new Russian-Iranian agreement was signed on "the foundations of relations and principles of cooperation", covering wide range bilateral relations. As a result, Russia actually received carte blanche to "develop" the Iranian arms market. According to Expert magazine, Tehran planned to receive (in 1995, after the signing of the notorious Gor-Chernomyrdin memorandum, deliveries were actually frozen) 570 T-72S tanks, over a thousand BMP-2s, air defense systems and a significant amount of ammunition and spare parts for technique Russian production, as well as additionally purchase Russian helicopters, S-300PMU air defense systems and other air defense systems, radar tracking stations, Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters, missile and landing boats, ship-based missiles and diesel submarines. In addition, Iran was going to use Russia to organize the production of T-72S and BMP-2 tanks on its territory, while acquiring licensed technical documentation and technological equipment, to modernize coastal infrastructure for basing Russian Kilo-class submarines.

In mid-2005, domestic and foreign media reported that Iran had resumed its nuclear developments.

It is known that back in the 1980s, the Iranians launched (with North Korean help) the production of an analogue of the Soviet tactical missile R-17e, known in the West as Scud-B. These missiles, in particular, repeatedly fired at Baghdad during the Iran-Iraq war.

In the nineties, again with North Korean help, with some participation, according to Western experts, Chinese and Russian specialists, the production of medium-range missiles (up to 1500 km) was launched. The Shehab missiles (analogous to the Korean Nadong) are also made on the basis of R-17e technologies. According to General V. Dvorkin, former head of the 4th Institute of the Ministry of Defense, the Shehab missiles were created exclusively for weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

In 2002 and 2003, agents of the Iranian Opposition Council of National Resistance uncovered secret centrifuge plants that experts say were designed to produce weapons-grade uranium. And in 2004, inspectors from the International Agency for atomic energy(IAEA) discovered on the territory of Iran centrifuges of the "Pak-1" system. It was thanks to these systems that Pakistan received its own atomic bomb in 1998. According to Russian intelligence, Iran has and nuclear development. They were sold, according to official recognition, "for tens of millions of dollars" by the "father of the Pakistani bomb", scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who visited the country in 1986-1987.

Notes:

Recent history of countries of foreign Asia and Africa. - L., 1963. - S. 587.

Bar-Zohar Mikael. Ben-Gurion Rostov-on-Don, 1998, P 131

Ben Gurion David(David Gruen) - was born on 10/16/1886 in Plonsk, in the Russian part of Poland. In 1906 he emigrated to Palestine, then part of the Ottoman Empire. He was a farmer in the Galilee. With the outbreak of the First World War, he was expelled from the country by the Turkish authorities for political unreliability. Returned to Palestine in 1917. Graduated Faculty of Law Istanbul University. In 1921 he became general secretary of the General Jewish Federation of Labor (Histadrut), in 1930 - leader of the Workers' Party (Mapai), in 1935 - chairman of the executive committee of the Jewish Agency. In 1948 he became Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Israel. In 1953, he resigned from both posts. In 1955, he again took up these posts and kept them until 1963 (with a break in 1961). In 1965, he founded the Rafi party, which was in opposition to Mapai, and led it until his retirement from politics in 1970. He died in 1973.

Bar-Zohar Mikael. Ben Gurion. Rostov-on-Don, 1998, p. 154.

"Irgun tsvai leumi"(ICL) - the military wing of the revisionist movement, which advocated "the transformation of all of Palestine and Transjordan into a Jewish state." Considered military force as the only method of relations with the Arab population. Started operating in 1937. In 1948, on the basis of the ICL, the far-right Zionist party Herut (Freedom) was created.

Lehi (LEHI) is a military terrorist group that broke away from the Irgun in 1940.

Bar-Zohar Mikael. Ben Gurion. Rostov-on-Don, 1998. S. 187.

"Palmach"(PALMACH) - the first professional Zionist military organization(brigade), created in 1941 by decision of the Haganah command in connection with the threat of Hitler's invasion of Palestine. She joined the kibbutz movement, whose leaders competed with the Workers' Party of Israel (MAPAI) in the struggle for power in the governing bodies of the Jewish community. It was liquidated at the end of the War of Independence.

Zarbakht Murtaza. From Iraqi Kurdistan to the Other Bank of the River Arake The Historical Crossing of Mulla Mustafa Barzani (Spring 1326/1947). M. - St. Petersburg, 2003. S. 13.

Statistigue annuelle du commerce exterieur de l "Iran en 1319 (1940/41). Teheran, 1941. P.3.

July 8, 1941 I.V. Stalin, in a conversation with British Ambassador to the USSR Cripps, raised the question of the situation in the Middle East in connection with the large concentration of Germans there and their hostile actions in Iran and Afghanistan, as well as the need for joint action by the allies in order to "drive the Germans out of Iran and Afghanistan now, because later it will be difficult.

Basov A.V., Gutenmakher G.I. Persian Corridor // Military History Journal. 1991. No. 1.S. 27.

As the situation at the front changed, especially in the difficult days of 1941-1942, part of the Soviet formations was transferred from Iran to the Soviet-German front

Lavrenov WITH, Popov I. The Soviet Union in local wars and conflicts. M., 2003. S. 21.

Zorin L.I. Special assignment. M., 1987. S. 131.

Basov A.V., Gutenmakher G.I. Persian Corridor // Military History Journal 1991. No. 1.S. 32.

Lavrenov WITH, Popov I. The Soviet Union in local wars and conflicts M., 2003. S. 22.

Hegumen Alexander(Zarkeshev). Russian Orthodox Church in Persia - Iran (1579-2001). SPb., 2002. S. 137.

Leckie R. The Wars of America. New York, Evanston and London. 1968. P. 719; Petrov L.S. The actual side of Lend-Lease assistance // Military History Journal. 1990. No. 6. S. 35.

After the end of World War II, negotiations began between the USSR and the United States on the settlement of Lend-Lease payments. Initially, the US administration estimated its claims at $2.6 billion, but the following year reduced the amount to $1.3 billion. For comparison, we note that the UK, which received twice as much assistance, had to pay 472 million dollars, i.e. about 2% of the cost of military supplies. In 1946-1947, part of the Lend-Lease vehicles after a major overhaul was returned by the Soviet Union former allies in northern and far eastern ports. By this time, relations between the USSR and Western countries had noticeably "cooled". In this regard, after a scrupulous check of the equipment transferred to them, the Americans defiantly put it under pressure and took it out as scrap metal.

Leighton R.N., Coakley R.W. Global Logistics and Strategy. 1940-1943. Washington, 1955. P.259.

Petrov P.S. The actual side of Lend-Lease assistance // Military History Journal. 1990. No. 6. S. 39.

Ivanov M.S. Essay on the history of Iran. M., 1952. S. 345.

Ivanov M.S. Essay on the history of Iran. M, 1952. S 399

By May 1950, there were about 80 American military advisers in the Iranian army, led by General Evans. They were seconded to every branch of the military, a large military unit, as well as to military educational institutions.

Ivanov M.S. Essay on the history of Iran M ... 1952. C 354-355.

Ivanov M.S. Essay on the history of Iran. M., 1952. S. 437.

On March 24, 1951, the oil workers of Bender-Mashura and Aga-Jari went on strike. Soon it covered other oil enterprises and fields in Abadan, Khaftkel, Gachsaran, Masjed-Soleimane, Laali, Nafte-Sefid, etc. Due to the aggravation of the situation, British naval forces were sent to the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, consisting of 2 aircraft carriers, 4 cruisers, 12 destroyers and other warships, which, together with the English warships in these bays, made up a squadron of 40 units.

Elwell-Sutton L. Iranian oil. M., 1956. S. 387.

Ivanov M.S. The anti-national nature of the rule of the Pahlavi dynasty in Iran // Questions of history. 1980. No. 11. S. 65.

The first coup attempt was made on the night of August 16, 1953. CIA officers and American military advisers who were in the Iranian army, led by General McClure, were involved in its preparation. General Schwarzkopf, who arrived in Iran from the United States and headed the Iranian gendarmerie in the 1940s, acted as a "consultant". The coup was attended by the Shah's guard, some tank units and military units located in the Tehran region. The first attempt was unsuccessful - units loyal to Mossadegh disarmed the soldiers of the Shah's guard. Nevertheless, on August 19, the rebels, having pulled up additional military units to Tehran, seized power and arrested the government of Mossadegh.

Many of Iran's communist leaders found refuge in the Soviet Union after the coup d'état. On August 1, 1960, under the patronage of the international department of the Central Committee of the CPSU, a structure called the "Azerbaijani Democratic Party of the Azerbaijan Organization of the Iranian Party of TUDE" was created, uniting the democratic parties of Iran, Iranian Azerbaijan and Kurdistan. This structure was headed by the chairman of the Central Committee and a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the TUDE Amir Ali Lahrudi. Since the beginning of 1986, members of the party began to be actively transferred to Iran and involved in illegal intelligence work on the lines of the KGB.

Tuily A. CIA. The Inside Story. N.Y. 1962. P. 92-96.

It T. Spies from America. M., 1967. S. 192.

Ushakov V A., Shestopalov V. Ya. Who organized the 1953 coup in Iran // Questions of history. 1980. No. 4. S. 184.

From the mid-1960s, the United States began to carry out military supplies to Iran on a commercial basis (since 1969, gratuitous financial assistance to the country was completely stopped).

Gromyko A.A. Commemorative. M., 1988. Book. 2. S. 98.

Cit. on: Tarasov A. Persian fantasy // Political magazine. 2005. No. 20 (71). S. 56.

Khomeini Ruhollah Musavi- religious and political figure Iran. Born around 1900. In 1950, he was proclaimed an ayatollah (translated from Persian as "divine sign") - the highest rank of the clergy among Shia Muslims. In 1963, during anti-government demonstrations, he opposed land reform and Westernization of Iran, carried out by the Shah, and was on a short time subjected to imprisonment. In 1964 he was expelled from the country and settled first in Iraq, and after being expelled from there by Saddam Hussein in the suburbs of Paris. In February 1979 he returned to Iran and was proclaimed the religious leader of the Islamic Revolution. He died on June 3, 1989 and was buried in the Tehran cemetery of Bakheshte-Zahra.

Zotov G. Does Iran have atomic bomb? // Arguments and Facts. 2006. No. 17. P.11.

There are still many pages in the history of the Second World War, which, in contrast to Battle of Stalingrad or the Allied landings in Normandy are little known to the general public. These include the joint Anglo-Soviet operation to occupy Iran, codenamed Operation Sympathy.

It was carried out from August 25 to September 17, 1941. Its purpose was to protect Iranian oil fields and fields from their possible capture by German troops and their allies, as well as to protect the transport corridor (southern corridor), along which the allies carried out Lend-Lease supplies to the Soviet Union. In addition, Britain feared for its position in southern Iran, especially for the oil fields of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, and was concerned that Germany could penetrate through Iran into India and other Asian countries that were in the British sphere of influence.

It must be said that this was one of the few successful operations of the Red Army against the background of the dramatic events of the summer of 1941 on the Soviet-German front. For its implementation, three combined arms armies were involved (44th, under the command of Major General A. A. Khadeev, 47th, under the command of Major General V. V. Novikov and the 53rd separate Central Asian Army, under the command of General - Lieutenant S. G. Trofimenko) significant aviation and Caspian flotilla forces.

It should be noted that it was this operation that became the first joint military action of countries that, due to changing geopolitical conditions, switched from years of confrontation to cooperation and became allies in the war with Germany. And the development and implementation by the Soviet and British sides of a joint operation to send troops to Iran, the implementation of a coordinated policy in the region, became the actual basis for closer cooperation in the future, when parts of the American army were also introduced into Iran.
The allies, whose interests did not coincide in everything, at that moment were striving for one thing: to prevent, firstly, the threat, and a very real one, of a pro-German military coup in Iran and a breakthrough of the Wehrmacht forces there; secondly, to ensure through Iranian territory the transit of weapons, ammunition, food, medicines, strategic raw materials, fuel and other lend-lease cargoes necessary for the USSR for war and victory, and, thirdly, to ensure that the neutrality initially declared by Iran gradually transformed into large-scale cooperation and transition to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition.

It must be said that the influence of Germany in Iran was enormous. With the transformation of the Weimar Republic into the Third Reich, relations with Iran reached a qualitatively different level. Germany began to take part in the modernization of the Iranian economy and infrastructure, the reform of the Shah's army. In Germany, Iranian students and officers were trained, whom Goebbels' propaganda called nothing less than "sons of Zoroaster." The Persians were declared pure-blooded Aryans and exempted from the Nuremberg racial laws by a special decree.
In the total trade turnover of Iran in 1940-1941, Germany accounted for 45.5 percent, the USSR - 11 percent and Britain - 4 percent. Germany firmly infiltrated the Iranian economy, and built relations with it in such a way that Iran practically became a hostage of the Germans and subsidized their ever-increasing military spending.

The volume of German weapons imported into Iran grew rapidly. Over eight months of 1941, more than 11,000 tons of weapons and ammunition were imported there, including thousands of machine guns and dozens of artillery pieces.

With the outbreak of World War II and the German attack on the USSR, despite the formal declaration of neutrality by Iran, the activity of German intelligence services intensified in the country. With encouragement from the pro-German government headed by Reza Shah, Iran became the main base for German agents in the Middle East. Reconnaissance and sabotage groups were created on the territory of the country, weapons depots were set up, including in the northern regions of Iran bordering on the Soviet Union.
Trying to draw Iran into the war against the USSR, Germany offered Reza Shah weapons and financial assistance. And in return, she demanded that her “ally” transfer Iranian air bases to her disposal, the construction of which German specialists had a direct bearing on. In the event of an aggravation of relations with the ruling regime in Iran, a coup d'état was being prepared. To this end, in early August 1941, the head of German intelligence, Admiral Canaris, arrived in Tehran under the guise of a representative of a German company. By this time, under the leadership of an Abwehr officer, Major Friesch, special combat detachments were formed in Tehran from the Germans living in Iran. Together with a group of Iranian officers involved in the plot, they were to form the main strike force of the rebels. The speech was scheduled for August 22, 1941, and then postponed to August 28.
Naturally, neither the USSR nor Great Britain could ignore such a development of events.

The USSR three times - on June 26, July 19 and August 16, 1941 warned the Iranian leadership about the activation of German agents in the country and offered to expel all German subjects from the country (among them there were many hundreds of military specialists), since they were carrying out activities incompatible with Iranian neutrality . Tehran rejected this demand.
He refused the same demand to the British. Meanwhile, the Germans in Iran developed their activity, and the situation became more and more threatening for the anti-Hitler coalition every day.
August 25 in the morning at 4:30 soviet ambassador and the British envoy jointly visited the Shah and presented him with notes from their governments on the entry of Soviet and British troops into Iran.
Units of the Red Army were introduced into the northern provinces of Iran. In the southern and southwestern - British troops. Within three days, from 29 to 31 August, both groups reached a predetermined line, where they joined.

It must be said that the Soviet Union had every legal basis to react decisively to such a development of events in its own country. southern border in accordance with Article VI of the Treaty between the USSR and Persia of February 26, 1921. She said:

“Both High Contracting Parties agree that in the event that third countries attempt to carry out an occupation policy on the territory of Persia by means of armed intervention or to turn the territory of Persia into a base for military actions against Russia, if this threatens the borders of the Russian Federal Socialist Republic or its allied powers, and if the Persian Government, after a warning from the Russian Soviet Government, does not itself find itself in the power to avert this danger, the Russian Soviet government will have the right to send his troops into the territory of Persia in order to take the necessary military measures in the interests of self-defense. Upon elimination of this danger, the Russian Soviet Government undertakes to immediately withdraw its troops from the borders of Persia.

Shortly after the start of the entry of allied troops into Iran, there was a change in the cabinet of ministers of the Iranian government. The new Iranian Prime Minister Ali-Forughi gave the order to end the resistance, and the next day this order was approved by the Iranian Majlis (parliament). On August 29, 1941, the Iranian army laid down its arms in front of the British, and on August 30 - in front of the Red Army.

On September 18, 1941, Soviet troops entered Tehran. The ruler of Iran, Reza Shah, had abdicated a few hours earlier in favor of his son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, and, together with another son, a staunch supporter of Hitler, fled to the British zone of responsibility. The Shah was sent first to the island of Mauritius, and then to Johannesburg, where he died three years later.
After the abdication and departure of Reza Shah, his eldest son Mohammed Reza was elevated to the throne. Official representatives of Germany and its allies, as well as most of their agents, were interned and expelled.

Photos of the Soviet-British invasion of Iran:

On January 29, 1942, the Treaty of Union between the USSR, Great Britain and Iran was signed. The allies pledged to "respect the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Iran". The USSR and England also pledged to "defend Iran with all the means at their disposal against any aggression on the part of Germany or any other power." For this task, the USSR and England received the right "to maintain on Iranian territory land, sea and air forces in such quantity as they consider necessary." In addition, the allied states were granted an unlimited right to use, maintain, protect and, in case of military necessity, control all means of communication throughout Iran, including railways, highways and dirt roads, rivers, airfields, ports, etc. Within the framework of this agreement, through Iran began to deliver allied military-technical cargo from the ports of the Persian Gulf to the Soviet Union.

Iran, in turn, committed itself to "cooperate with allied states by all means available to it and in all possible ways so that they can fulfill the above obligations."

The treaty established that the troops of the USSR and England should be withdrawn from the territory of Iran no later than six months after the cessation of hostilities between the allied states and Germany with its accomplices. (In 1946, the troops were completely withdrawn). The Allied Powers guaranteed Iran that they would not require the participation of its armed forces in hostilities, and also pledged at peace conferences not to approve anything that would harm the territorial integrity, sovereignty or political independence of Iran. The presence of allied troops in Iran, the neutralization of German agents (*), the establishment of control over the main communications in the country significantly changed the military-political situation on the Soviet southern borders. The threat was removed to the most important oil region - Baku, which produced about three-quarters of all oil produced in the USSR. In addition, the military presence of the allies had a deterrent effect on Turkey. And the Soviet command got the opportunity to withdraw part of the forces from the southern borders and use them on the Soviet-German front. All this testified to the effectiveness of the cooperation of the great powers, united in the struggle against fascist aggression.

The fact that, in fact, in Soviet-British relations regarding the occupation of Iran, not everything was smooth, read in our