Evening star., 1941-08-29
Iran CopituIotes

1llC QulIh Cllu DuIICOOlu1
sion of the Anglo-Russian invasion
of Iran shows that they have un-
corked their own brand of blitzkrieg,
and a very effective one at that. On
the fourth day after Russian and
British forces crossed the Iranian
borders at various points, Reza Shah
hoisted the white flag. All armed re-
Sistance has ceased and a new gov
ernment ready to comply with Anglo
Russian demands is taking office in
Teheran, the Iranian capital.
Militarily speaking, the Iranian
situation was hopeless from the start.
Deficient in tanks, planes and heavy
artillery, the relatively small Iranian
Army was little more than
gendarmerie, able to maintain order
at home but incapable of waging war
against a first-class power, much
less against a two-fold combination.
Whether the Iranian troops realized
the hopelessness of their task or were
acting under secret orders, certain it
is that nowhere was more than a
token resistance put up against the
invaders.
The one doubtful point was Wheth-
er the British, especially would move
fast enough to prevent sabotage to
the southwestern oilfields and to the
giant refineries at Abadan, just in
side Iranian territory from British
occupied Iraq. This potential threat
was forestalled by the rapidity of
the British occupation Likewise,
there seems to have been no damage
done to the tranS-Iranian railway
from Bandar Shapur on the Persian
Gulf to Bander Shah on the Caspian
Sea. Passing largely through noun
famous territory, this vital rail line
has many bridges and tunnels which,
if Systematically wrecked, might
have made it useless for very long
time.
Not only will resident German and
Italian agents promptly be cleaned
out of Iran; troublesome native
refugees and agitators from various
parts of the Near and Middle East
likewise will lose their favorite haven.
1t should not be forgotten that
RaShid El Gallant of Iraq, the grand
multi of Palestine, and other trouble
makers were conducting anti-British
propaganda from Iran to the Arab
lands, Afghanistan, and even India
Another useful by-product for
Britain will be the closing of Iranian
bases along its Persian Gulf and
Indian Ocean coasts to Axis raiders.
A number of German and Italian
| merchant vessels which had taken
refuge in Iranian harbors seem to
have acted as mother ships" for
Axis commerce destroyers, slipping
them food and munitions by under
hand methods. Although the threat
was never serious, the presence of
those raiders compelled Britain to
detach light naval units and employ
the convoy method for the shipping
lanes leading from India to the
Persian Gulf Now that those Iranian
bases have been abolished, there
seems to be no haven for Axis raid
ers in that part of the world.
Whatever face-saving concessions
may be granted to Reza Shah, there
can be little doubt that Britain and
Russia will take and maintain con-
troll over Trans transportation routes
and will insist upon very benevolent
kind of neutrality. To all intents
and purposes, Iran can be reckoned
in the Anglo-RuSSian camp. This
important shift in the political and
strategic balance of the Middle East
has been effected within four days
and virtually without bloodshed. An
amazingly workmanlike job!