891.6363/12–847
The Iranian Prime Minister (Qavam) to the Ambassador of the Soviet Union in Iran (Sadchikov)1
Mr. Ambassador: I have the honor to bring to the attention of Your Excellency the following:
As I declared and promised to Your Excellency in letter No. 4,500 of 20 Shahrivar, 1326, (1)* the question of the creation of a joint Irano-Soviet Petroleum Company was placed before the Majlis in its session of 29 Mehr, 1326, (2)† and the Majlis, by passing a single article law, declared that agreement to be null and void, inasmuch as the agreement of 15 Farvardin, 1325, (3)‡ was not in accordance with the law of December 2, 1944. (4)§
Moreover, in the single article above mentioned the Majlis forbade the granting of any concession to foreigners for the extraction of petroleum or its derivatives in our country as well as the creation of companies of any description whatever for that purpose in which foreigners would participate.
In the same single article the Majlis directed the Imperial Government to take necessary technical and scientific measures for the survey of petroleum bearing regions and, within a period of five years, to establish complete technical and scientific maps of the petroleum regions of the country so that information concerning the existence of sufficient quantities of petroleum having been obtained, the Majlis might take legislative action setting forth the procedure for the commercial exploitation of petroleum bearing regions. When the existence of petroleum in commercial quantities in the regions of northern Iran shall be definitively determined as a result of the necessary surveys, the Government is authorized to enter into negotiations with the Soviet Government on the subject of the sale of petroleum products, informing the Majlis of the result of these negotiations.
[Page 977]I avail myself of the opportunity of begging you to accept the assurance of my high consideration.2
- Copy transmitted to the Department by Tehran in despatch 561, December 8.↩
- 1. September 19, 1947. [Footnote in the original.]↩
- 2. October 22, 1947. [Footnote in the original.]↩
- 3. April 4, 1946. [Footnote in the original.]↩
- 4. So-called Mossadeq Anti-Concession Law. [Footnote in the original.]↩
- Ambassador Allen and Prime Minister Qavam, on November 9, discussed relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. In pertinent part, the Ambassador reported to the Department the Prime Minister’s statement that the “present war of nerves was worse for Iran than actual hostilities would be and asked how long it would continue. I said, again emphasizing that I spoke personally, that in my view it would continue indefinitely unless one of two things happened, either Soviet Govt showed more accommodating attitude in world affairs or else committed aggressive acts resulting in war. Since I saw little likelihood of either happening near future, I feared Iran would have to suffer continuance of war of nerves for some time.” (telegram 1092, November 10, noon, from Tehran, 891.24/11–1047)↩