'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎194v] (393/610)

some Cabinet posts and was Premier from July 1910 to February
1912, when he was a nonentity but closely allied with the
Democrats who made use of him, a second time in 1914, and a
third time from August to December 1915, when anti-ally intrigue
in Tehran and in the provinces was at its height, and the so-called
“ neutrality,” which he professed himself and enjoined on
provincial governors, permitted it to continue unchecked
until the situation became so serious that the Russians were
obliged to reinforce their army in Northern Persia. On the ad
vance of Russian troops from Kazvin to protect allied nationals
in Tehran, Mustaufi ordered the evacuation of Tehran by
members of the Majlis and all the Government departments,
telegraphed to the provinces that the Shah was leaving the
capital and assigned Isfahan as a rendezvous. Owing to the
Shah’s eleventh hour decision to remain in Tehran on the pro
mise of the Russian Minister that the troops should not advance
beyond Karaj, the exit of Muhajirin to Qum fell short of
Mustauff# expectations, and, after their defeat at Saveh by 'the
pursuing Russians, his Cabinet fell in December 1915, and was
succeeded by the pro-British Farman Farma.
Mustaufi remained out of office, but his intrigues brought
about the fall of Vusuq-ud-Dauleh’s first cabinet in June 1917,
and he was the principal member of ’Ala-us-Sultaneh’s cabinet,
which then came into power. At that time the “ Committee
of Punishment” started assassination of the friends of Great
Britain, and the Jangalis and all anti-British organizations were
encouraged.
Mustaufi’s fourth Premiership from January to May 1918
was most antagonistic to British interests. Mukhblr-us-
Sultaneh (No. 2) was his Minister of the Interior, and sent secret
orders to provincial governors to be hostile to Great Britain,
and a telegram of his to Fars was the cause of the trouble, which
broke out between the South Persia Rifles and the Qashqais,
and of subsequent mutinies against their British officers of
disaffected elements, who had been embodied in the South
Persia Rifles from the former gendarmerie of Shiraz. The
defection of Cossacks at Rasht with their arms and equipment
to the Jangalis was also engineered by these two Ministers,
and they endeavoured to bring the Jangalis to Tehran. The
fall of Mustaufi’s Cabinet was at length effected by the British
Legation in January 1918, but his successor Samsam-us-
Sultaneh only proved even more violently anti-British.
Mustaufi was “forgiven ” by the Legation and in July 192(>
permitted to join Mushir-ud-Dauleh’s cabinet as Minister with