Iran as a regional military power (1970-78)

Abstract

After 1970, Iran under the Shah started acquiring most of the attributes of a major regional power in the Persian Gulf region. As compared with its neighbours, it had a relatively larger population, a better developed techno-industrial base and a higher oil production rate(second only to Saudi Arabia). After the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, the excess of oil revenues as a result of the oil price increase was used to convert the Iranian oil wealth into a sizable military machine. This was mainly carried out through a rapid weapons acquisitions programme. Earlier, the strategic factors i.e. the announcement of Britain's withdrawal from the Persian Gulf in January 196 8 and the actual withdrawal in December 19 71 gave Iran an opportunity to fill the military vacuum by increasing its military strength. Thus by 1978 Iran had achieved an almost unchallenged status as the principal power in the Persian Gulf. This was mainly because: (1) It possessed armed forces (army, navy and airforce) which were both quantitatively and qualitatively superior to those of most countries in the Persian Gulf. (2) No country in the Persian Gulf (or even the Middle East except Israel) since World War II had developed and maintained such deep-rooted political, economic and strategic links with the United States. (3) It made itself responsible for the overall protection and security of the Gulf region, particularly in safe-guarding the free passage of oil through the Persian Gulf to Western Europe, Japan, South Africa and Israel. On this unimpeded flow of oil depended the economic and ultimately the political health of these countries. (4) It took a leading role in the forging of regional security moves in the Persian Gulf and on few occasions employed its armed forces as protector of the regional status quo and a counterpoise to emerging radical regimes. (5) On the economic front, it embarked on financial aid giving programmes to countries in the Persian Gulf, the Middle East and even the Indian sub-continent; politically it exerted an invisible but a palpable presence behind the governments that favoured a moderate solution to Middle East problems. (6) As the monarch of an oil rich state, the Shah's pronouncements were heeded by world statesmen. These pronouncements ranged from an international scheme for the price-indexing of developing countries' primary commodities, to support for proposals of regional economic cooperation, Third World demands for a new international economic order, and the future pricing of oil. The purpose of this study is to examine the growth and development of Iran as a regional military power from 19 70 till the end of 19 78. Although the main focus are these eight years, the study is carried forward into the first quarter of 19 79 due to the momentous development in Iran, i.e. the Islamic Revolution which led to the overthrow of the monarchy. The emphasis is exclusively on 'the military aspect rather than the economic, though the development in the former could not have been possible without the latter. Before going into the summary of different chapters, an explanation of certain key terms frequently used in the study may be useful.