Getting Odd, Getting Even
September 26, 1952 — The Advertiser

The Mossadegh Project | April 1, 2020                    


An editorial on Iran in The Advertiser newspaper of Adelaide, South Australia.

Australian media archive




The Advertiser (Adelaide, South Australia) newspaper

DR. MOSSADEQ’S ‘LAST OFFER’

Dr. Mossadeq describes his latest offer as his last. That may be nothing more than an example of the way a bargain is driven in Persia. It is to be hoped it is, for the British Government, despite its anxiety to reach a settlement, cannot possibly accept his terms.

There are two main obstacles. The first is Dr. Mossadeq’s insistence that the Anglo-Iranian Company’s claims for compensation must be limited to the amount represented by its installations in Persia. This would mean the surrender, without a penny’s recompense, of all the concession rights which the company has explored and developed.

The other one is a flat demand for a down payment of £49 million from the company before the Persian Government will even allow the question of compensation to go to arbitration. This sum has been arrived at by estimating the value of oil royalties that would have been paid into the Persian Treasury had the supplemental oil agreement offered by the company in 1949 been accepted. The agreement was rejected in favor of nationalisation and the expulsion of the company. It is odd, to say the least of it, that, like the earlier agreements of 1919 and 1933 — which are also anathema to the Persian Nationalists — it should now be made the basis of claims against the company.

This is the more preposterous feature of Dr. Mossadeq’s offer. The pity of it is that, in other respects, the negotiations have at last brought both sides nearer to common ground.

If this spirit persists there should be room for manoeuvre and compromise. Dr. Mossadeq is doing his best to wring a final advantage out of the situation by whispering in various American ears that if the British refuse a settlement — on his terms — Persia may become a Russian prize. This no doubt will be officially passed on to London by Washington, with a request for action. What, however, the British Government would be more grateful for would be a firm American statement to Dr. Mossadeq that a settlement was now up to him.


Divvying Up the Loot: The Iran Oil Consortium Agreement of 1954
Divvying Up the Loot: The Iran Oil Consortium Agreement of 1954

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Related links:

Dr. Mossadeq Carries On | The Advertiser, July 8, 1952

They Make an Empty Threat | The Vancouver Sun, June 11, 1951

Persian Oil | The West Australian (Perth), February 11, 1954



MOSSADEGH t-shirts — “If I sit silently, I have sinned”

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