Coll 28/97(1) ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries.’ [‎266v] (532/807)

4
(!) Not printed
14. Bahrein Islands.
(i) The persistence of the Imperial Government in the claim to Bahrein took
form in an objection to the procedure adopted by the Bahrein postal authorities
regarding mails for Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ports and, eventually, to a refusal to^accept
such mails. In order to allay this “ storm in a tea-cup, the Government of Indi ^
have accepted a suggestion made by the Imperial Government that a return
should be made to the procedure in force before May 1939.
(ii) At 03-45 a.m. on the morning of the 19th October the oil refinery at
Bahrein was bombed by enemy machines of unidentified type from a height of
about 3,000 feet. Some fifty bombs and parachute flares were dropped without
causing damage or casualties. „
The official Italian communiques which had stated that the islands ot.
Bahrein were a British possession were corrected on this point in the Iranian
press by a footnote pointing out that the islands of Bahrein were now illegally
in the possession of others, but the Imperial Government considered them as part
of Iran and reserved all the rights of possession.
On the 28th October the Iranian official press published an article entitled :
“ Astounding Fiction.” This stated that the foreign press, commenting on the
Italian bombing of Bahrein, had suggested that, as the Royal Navy used Iranian
petrol it was possible that Abadan would also be attacked by the Italian air
force. ’ The Iranian press points out that the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company are
only concessionaires for the exploitation of the oil, but all the buildings,
plant, &c., belong to Iran. Any act of hostility would be resisted to the utmost
by the armed forces of Iran. A similar statement was made from the Tehran
broadcasting station. ^ , . . ....... t
The Italian Minister was also given an official warning by the Minister tor
Foreign Affairs. . . , i j u ^
Reinforcements of aircraft and anti-aircraft guns ha\e already been
despatched to Khuzistan.
15. Ports and Harbours.
(i) A brief report on the newly completed harbour of Nau Shahr is given as
an appendix! 1 ) to this Summary, together with some notes on some other harbours.
(if) The harbour entrance at Bandar Pahlevi recently became silted up and
one of the bi-weekly Soviet passenger steamers ran aground and with difficulty
was refloated For over a week the Soviet authorities cancelled all sailings from
Baku to Bandar Pahlevi. This has, however, been resumed, but passengers and
cargo are being taken off in lighters outside the harbour mouth. Dredging is
proceeding night and day.
16 Census
The Census Department are making active preparations for the census of
the following towns in Iran before the end of the Iranian year 1319 (the
20th March, 1941) :—
Isfahan, Ardebil, Hamadan, Kermanshah, Yezd, Kerman, Shiraz, Resht, and
Bandar Pahlevi.
17. Corrigendum. A ,,
Reference Intelligence Summary No 15 (current),^ Appendix
paragraph 2. For “ 25 kilom. west ” read 25 kilom. east.
IT J UNDERWOOD, Lieutenant-Colonel,
Tehran, November 2, 1940.