Ottoman Efforts to Form an Alliance with Iran in World War I

Relationship between the Ottoman Empire and Iran has a long historical background. Following the foundation of the Safavid state, constant rivalry and military confrontation dominated this relationship. Still, this relationship at times evolved around the politics of the “Unity of Islam.”. Having invaded a great part of Iran, Russia and England became Ottomans’ main rivals in the region after 1900. In the process leading to the World War I, Iran became a venue for political, rather than military confrontation, between these powers. Even though the battles were not frequent and the number of belligerents was not high, military operations still played an important part. When the Great War started, Iran did not have a regular army. It was under the control of Russia and England. Ottomans’ Iran strategy was to impede the realization of Russian and English designs and reach Caucasia and Afghanistan through Iran. Within this framework, even though the Ottomans drafted a treaty of alliance, such an alliance was never materialized. This was partly the result of Iran’s political situation: it was under foreign occupation when the war started and its central government was weak with many provinces under the control of tribes. Another reason why the Ottomans could not form an alliance with Iran is the conflict of interest between the Ottoman Empire and its ally Germany. This conflict could be observed in both allies’ secret diplomacy that they hid from each other, a situation which strained the relationship between them. This presentation will deal with the efforts of forming an Ottoman- Iran alliance by relying on primary sources from the Prime Ministrial Ottoman Archives (Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi), Istanbul and relevant secondary sources