Iran in the Focus of National-socialist Power Politics, 1933-1943

In contrast to the economic and diplomatic relations between Pahlavi Iran and the Third Reich, which form a well-researched field of modern Iranian history, the military and strategic interests of Germany have found less attention. This paper will attempt to present an overview over the respective strategies and plans of the foreign ministry, the Wehrmacht and the secret services involving Iran as a theatre of German power politics in the Middle East before and after the outbreak of World War II. Aside from the question how and whether strategic planning had changed under the impact of war, the paper will also examine to which extent these plans had been known to the Iranian government, and in which way government agencies in Tehran tried either to avoid an involvement of Iran into such schedules or may have sought a collaboration with the German forces.