British Diplomatic Oil Crisis: Contemporary Anglo-Saxon Geopolitical Rivalries in the Persian Gulf: Drawing a Lesson? Or Sir Anthony Eden‘s Delusion of Grandeur.

the Oil
Commission in order to deliver reports from Persian
technical, financial and legal experts which were unfavourable to
nationalisation. This action undoubtedly led to his assassination
three days later.20

‘Profound
ignorance of the benefit of the Agreement to Persia is
almost universal at all political levels,’
21 was the view of Sir Francis Shepherd, British
Ambassador to Teheran. This has been the British perception of
the Anglo- Iranian Oil Company’s account of events.22 On 20th March 1951, Majlis approved
a
recommendation from the Oil Committee for the
nationalisation of AIOC; on 28th April it passed a bill to
implement this nationalisation and on the same day Dr.
Musaddiq was appointed Prime Minister

Dr. Muhammad Musaddiq
received his doctorate in 1914 from Neuchatel
University in Switzerland, in law. He was a descendant of the Qajar
dynasty, and a member of Iran’s upper class. His government posts
included Governor- General of Fars and Azerbaijan, Minister of
Finance, and Minister of Foreign Affairs. His posts as the Governor-
General and Minister were brief. In 1920 Dr. Musaddiq was elected to
the Fifth Majlis as a deputy from Teheran. He was an intense
nationalist, believing that by purging foreign influence from Iran
poverty could be eradicated from his country.

Musaddiq also became a
vocal critic of Reza Shah, which led to his
imprisonment in 1940. He gained his freedom after Reza Shah
abdicated in 1941.