Oil was discovered in southern Iran in 1908. It put the Middle East "front and centre in the minds of the leaders of the great powers, where it has stayed ever since ... it was much too precious to be left to the people who lived on top of it." (Bowen, p 111) The naval arms race to build the most battleships was already in full swing. Chant went up, 'We want ...
The desperate need to pull a fast one on Germany and get our warships powered by oil instead of coal.
Churchill was onto it in a flash, with a Royal Navy boss, Admiral Sir John Fisher, who needed no persuasion.
UK took the initiative and outsmarted the Iranians to make the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co under British control. Then we had to make sure we remained the boss and had to have our man as Top Man. That was the Shah of Iran - until he got the push in 1979.
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