I have recently played a forum game in which I managed to produce a democratic constitutional monarchy in Iran. Combined with my personal interests, this inspired me to create this scenario. Most of the things in the world happened as they did per OTL, but a big difference is made in the early 1950s. Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh is elected as prime minister of Iran and goes ahead with the nationalisation of oil. But this time around the Americans push the British into abandoning hostile intentions towards Iran after the World Court rules in favour of Iran. With a steady source of income, Mossadegh pushed ahead with his social liberal agenda. Land reforms, womens’ suffrage, a social security system and an inclusive democracy were implemented and would stay. Mossadegh and his National Front do alienate the conservative opposition which sides with the Shah. The political balance of power in Iran was an awkward one, flawed by the still vast executive power of the Shah. This was not really a problem as the Shah and the National Front could agree on policy most of the time, this was not always the case. Especially when it came to the military budget, the Shah was in a position to outmanoeuvre the elected government where they disagreed. As time progressed, and politics left the mirrored halls, more and more people became fed up with this system. Cries for reforms were loud, but there was no revolution in sight.

The King of Kings, the Light of the Aryans, the Crowned Father, and according to some of his more devoted followers ‘Shadow of God’ and ‘Centre of the Universe’, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, died on July 27th 1980, four years after he was diagnosed with lymphoma. Crown Prince Reza, not yet of age, continued his fighter pilot training in the United States and Queen Farah became regent for him. As the people grieved the death of the Emperor, calls for reform were wide, and met by the Queen Regent. But with the dead of the old king, it was evident to many that a new era dawned. With his training complete later that year, he returned to Tehran where he was sworn in on October 31st. With no reforms announced, a country-wide movement to demonstrate for “an actual democracy with an apolitical monarchy” sprung up. From all walks of life, the Iranians demanded their rights. A small group, but the ones that shouted the loudest, were the communists.



In Moscow there was a plan to dislodge Iran’s government and replace it with “A government by the people, for the people”, as well as permanently weakening Iran. The Soviets expanded ties with Saddam Hussein, and gave Iraq the capacity to field an army of one million men. With Iran being in the political shit, Iraq escalated border tensions and on January 13, 1981, the Iraqi army crossed the Iranian border, overwhelming the border guards. Moscow and Baghdad alike expected the Iranian public to revolt and hail them as their liberators, but the opposite happened. When news and images spread of the Iraqi invaders disgracing Iranian flags, Imperial lions, and refugees came as they did when Saddam expelled the Persians the Iranian people was enraged – At Iraq. All political differences were put aside for the nation’s good, recruitment stations had queues stretching for miles, and even Ayatollah Khomeini supported this. Baghdad’s gamble went wrong, and with Reagan’s white house ensuring the Bear would stay in the woods , Iran could focus fully on Iraq.



The Iraqi army had taken parts of the Iranian border, threatened Iran’s oil production, and occupied Khorramshahr. The Imperial Army got ready to bring the fight to them, but with the Iraqi Army being a surprisingly tough force all attempts at counter-attacking were abandoned in 1981 and focused on containing the Iraqi advance –which was already bogged down– as Iran’s army built up. Already the IIAF could strike any target in Iraq with impunity, and the brand F-16s certainly didn’t make things worse. In the summer of that year, Prime Minister Abdolhassan Banisadr declared that Iraq would pay for this imposed war, the clergy motivated the army to reach Karbala, and on May 24th, 1981, Operation Zulfiqar was given the green light. Its objective was to liberate Khorramshahr and pave the way for offensive operations into Iraq.