Editing Iran (section)

===Rise of the Qajar Dynasty and Foreign Interference===
The Qajar dynasty originated as a local [[Turkoman (ethnonym)|Turkoman]]{{sfn|Perry|1984|pp=602–605}} noble family in northern Iran, under the Safavids.{{Sfn|Baker|2005|p=13}} The Qajars gradually increased in power as other families fought each other in Iran, culminating in [[Agha Mohammad Shah]] proclaiming himself ruler in 1789, in opposition to the Afsharids and Zands.{{sfn|Perry|1984|pp=602–605}} Agha Mohammad defeated the Zand dynasty in 1794{{Sfn|Baker|2005|p=13}} and was officially crowned in 1796.{{sfn|Perry|1984|pp=602–605}} Shortly thereafter, he captured and deposed the Afsharid Shahrokh Shah, reunifying Iran under a single ruler.{{sfn|Perry|1984|pp=602–605}}

In the 19th century, Iran lost significant territories in the [[Caucasus]] to the [[Russian Empire]] following the [[Russo-Persian Wars]].<ref name="books.google.nl1">{{Cite book |last=Dowling |first=Timothy C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KTq2BQAAQBAJ&pg=PA728 |title=Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond |year=2014 |pages=728–729 |series=2 volumes |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-948-6 |language=en}}</ref> At the same time, [[United Kingdom|Britain]] became increasingly involved in [[southern Iran]], wishing to provide a counterweight to Russia's presence in the north, which posed a threat to [[British India]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=GREAT BRITAIN iii. British influence in Persia in the 19th century |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/great-britain-iii/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Encyclopaedia Iranica |language=en-US}}</ref> This was solidified by the establishment of the Indo-European Telegraph Department in the 1860s; and the [[Imperial Bank of Persia]] by an English company in 1889.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lapping |first=Brian |url=https://archive.org/details/endofempire00lapp |title=End of empire |date=1985 |publisher=New York : St. Martin's Press |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-312-25071-3}}</ref> By the end of the 19th century, this dominance had become so pronounced that Iran's central government in Tehran required Anglo-Russian approval for ministerial appointments.<ref name=":4" />