The Agricultural Economics of the Allied Occupation of Iran in the Second World War

The occupation of Iran in 1941 by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the United States and the deposition of Rezā Shāh (r. 1925–41) by the Allied powers involuntarily drew Iran into the Second World War, affecting the country’s politics, economy, and society on multiple levels. In particular, the consequences of Allied involvement affected the agricultural sector. Using contemporary descriptions of events and archived documents, this study examines the occupation force’s quasi-colonization of Iran’s agricultural and pastoral resources, its consequences and, more generally, Allied policies regarding Iran. This paper suggests that, through the Tripartite Treaty of Alliance (29 January 1942), the Allied powers legitimized their presence and direct intervention in Iran’s policies, especially in the realm of agricultural economics. Moreover, support for the Soviet Union during the war appears to have been a higher priority for the United States and United Kingdom than concern for the native Iranian population, resulting in the disruption of the food transportation system, increased food prices, and decreased supplies of the chief crops, leading to food shortages and social unrest in Iran.