Claims made by Iran to sovereignty over Bahrain

This file contains correspondence relating to:

• Article [not enclosed] written by J B Kelly of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies entitled 'The Persian Claim to Bahrain', and published in International Affairs (1)
• Conversation with the Military Governor of Tehran General Bakhtiar, who raised the question of the Iranian claim to Bahrain (2)
• Report of a conversation between the Ambassador to Iran Roger Stevens and the Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi regarding the Iranian claim to Bahrain (3)
• Summary of reports in the Iranian press about the Iranian claim to Bahrain. It also contains a cutting of an article from the Daily Telegraph, dated 22 July 1957 and titled 'Bahrain Protest' (5)
• Desirability of the US publicly supporting the UK's position on Iran's claim to Bahrain (6)
• News that the number of representatives sitting in the Iranian parliament has been increased, and the possibility that one of these will represent islands and territories either held or claimed by Iran. It also contains further correspondence regarding the US attitude towards the Iranian claim to Bahrain (7)
• Protest by Iran to the USSR, regarding the participation of a group of Bahraini youth at the World Youth Congress in Moscow (8)
• Plans for the US to make a unilateral approach to the Government of Iran in the event that agitation increases surrounding the Iranian claim to Bahrain. This will avoid the impression that the US and UK are ganging up on Iran (10)
• Report of an Iranian enquiry into whether there will be a Bahraini representation at the World Scout Jamboree (9)
• Report that the Iranian Ambassador has been instructed to protest against the use of Bahrain by British forces as a base for operations in Oman (11)
• BBC report that the Shah of Iran has instructed his Government to declare Bahrain a province of Iran (12)
• Background information on the bill being published by the Iranian government declaring Bahrain a province of Iran (13)
• Report of a call made on the Iranian Minister for Foreign Affairs to protest at the Iranian action (14)
• Reactions of Iraq and Pakistan to the Iranian claim (15)
• Middle East News Agency report of an article in Al-Shaab entitled 'Bahrain is an independent Arab state' (16)
• Summaries of the responses of various Arab States to the Iranian claim to Bahrain (17)
• Report of a meeting with the Ruler of Bahrain Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa and a letter sent following this meeting, stating that HMG will continue to fulfil their obligation to safeguard the independence of Bahrain (18)