Could Russia have occupied Persia?

Russia's eternal ambition for a warm water port could probably be most idealy fulfilled through the occupation of Persia. The British would obviously be keen to oppose this. With a POD no earlier than 1900, could the Russians or Soviets successfully incorporated Persia?
 

Rockingham

Banned
Russia's eternal ambition for a warm water port could probably be most idealy fulfilled through the occupation of Persia. The British would obviously be keen to oppose this. With a POD no earlier than 1900, could the Russians or Soviets successfully incorporated Persia?
The Germans don't initiate a WW1 scenario...rather, the moment escapes them, and the Franco-Russians gain the initiative..... thus, the Rssians encourage the French to start the war, but cheat the French and do not participate themselves...the Brits don't want the French to be thrashed, and so the West is left to battle it out, while Russia takes advantage of the situation to invade Persia and the Ottoman Empire..... if the Brits do anything ,they side with the CP. ASB, but oh well.....
 
In WWII, the British and Russians invaded Iran and occupied it so they could move lend-lease supplies.

It would not be a hard stretch for Russia to have done so alone, either because it had troops available and was ready to go before the British (presenting them with a fait accompli) or because the British couldn’t spare the troops if pressed just a little bit harder by the Axis.

Once they were in, the Russians could have stayed without the Western powers being able to do anything about it.
 

Thande

Donor
The Russians occupied parts of northern Persia in the 17th century, but retreated a few years later. Sustain that, and then perhaps they could sweep down during the Persian civil wars of the 18th century - assuming Nadir Shah didn't kick them out first, of course.

EDIT: Whoops, just saw this was in after-1900 :eek:
 
Window of opportunity is too narrow to non-existent, as oil was discovered in Southern Persia in very early 1900s (1st Anglo-Iranian agreement regarding oil rights had been signed in 1901, although APOC did not come until 1908). From that moment on Great Britain will declare war to Russia at first sign of an anti-Iranian design.

Make POD 1800, or better yet 1700, and we have something to work on.
 
I think that an Austrian intervention in the Crimean War, for which they get the mouth of the Danube, could be a good POD. With the Russians cut off from a European route to take Constantinople (their dream warm-water port), perhaps they focus East on Persia.

During the Russians' push into the Turkish territories they also start pushing south, into Persia. The British resist this, but the Russians, fully focused on Eastern expansion, push much harder than the British. By the end of the 19th century, the Russians have turned Persia into a full-fledged satellite, and have control of the National Persian Railway Company (ala the Manchurian Railway system).

The Russians now have an "Indian Ocean Fleet" and a complete rail system linking Russia to Persia. They also have a border where Russian and British troops and ships can actually clash.

Good?
 
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