British invasion of Iran ended in exile in Joburg
EXILE is a punishment in which someone is forced to leave their country and go to live in a foreign country.
Sultan Khalid bin Barghash of Zanzibar was exiled to the island of Saint Helena by the British Empire in 1917, but was later allowed to reside in Mombasa, where he died in 1927.
Similarly, Asantehene Agyeman Prempeh was arrested and sent into exile in the Seychelles in 1896. The Ashanti Empire (today Ghana) was dissolved. The king of Ashanti lived for 24 years of exile in Seychelles, so today you will likely come across the great-grandchildren of the king of Ashanti in Seychelles.
There are many similar sad stories in Africa from colonial times, but one of them was a strange British exile from Iran to South Africa.
The National Archives of South Africa sometimes surprises researchers with its interesting documents. Some of these are the files named under the Shah of Iran Reza Pahlavi, who was arrested by the British Empire and sent into exile in Johannesburg in 1942. Reza Shah died in Johannesburg in 1944.
During World War II, many dynamics affected the Western countries, and the result was usually not pleasant.
The situation had changed in Germany, where Adolf Hitler argued the Aryans were the superior race. The Iranians were descended from the Aryans. He wanted to cut off the British hand from the country so that the dream of a “full independent Iran” would come true.
The Moscow front was in bad shape. The Allied Forces wanted to send ammunition to the Russians through Iranian territory. Shah Reza rejected this proposal.
In return for this response, the Allied Forces began to enter the country. In August 1941, the Russians entered the country from the northwest and the British from the south.
Shah Reza ordered the army to be ready. However, the army’s preparation was insufficient in response to this move. Weapons purchased from the Russians at the time did not work against the Russians.
Iran still fell victim to the political tricks of Western powers. British forces entered Iran and Reza Shah had to resign to avoid further tension and turmoil.
As a result of the diplomatic efforts of Muhammad Ali Furugh, Great Britain accepted the accession of Reza Shah’s son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Message from Britain: “We accept your heir to sit on the throne for you, but let your majesty not think there is any other option.”
The British invasion was complete, and the allied powers obtained the right to use the Iranian railways. At this time, Winston Churchill called Iran the “Bridge of Victory”.
However, the British still feared Shah Reza. They took him abroad by ship from Bandar Abbas while in custody, thinking that he would attempt against them again. Iran’s father, Shah Reza, and the great leader had to leave the country with a handful of Iranian lands he took with him.
The British first took him to the island of Mauritius. Shah Reza fell ill due to the tropical weather he was not accustomed to. After much struggle, the British agreed to take him to Johannesburg.
Shah Reza asked repeatedly to move to a country nearer to Iran but the British, believing it harmful to their interests to have him anywhere near Persia, refused the requests.
He spent the last two years of his life in exile in Johannesburg and died on July 26, 1944 in a house which the Iranian government plans to turn into a museum. Shah’s death was plotted by the British but according to many historians and diplomats, it was never confirmed.
His doctor said he had indigestion and no known heart problems.
The empire on which the sun never sets left a bitter colonial legacy in Africa. This historical fact has been written by scholars for years, but its sentimental influence on the grandchildren and the victims cannot be penned as is.