Editing Great Game (section)

=== Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907 ===
[[File:Map Iran 1900-en.png|thumb|Influence zones in Iran following the [[Anglo-Russian Convention]] of 1907]]
In the [[Anglo-Russian Convention|Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907]], the Russian Empire and British Empire officially ended their rivalry to focus on opposing the [[German Empire]]. In the Convention of 1907, Russia recognized Afghanistan and southern Iran as part of the British sphere of influence, while Britain recognized Central Asia and northern Iran as part of the Russian sphere of influence. Both parties recognized Tibet as a neutral territory, except Russia had special privileges in negotiating with the Dalai Lama, and Britain had special privileges in Tibetan commercial deals.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=ANGLO-RUSSIAN CONVENTION OF 1907|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/anglo-russian-convention-of-1907-an-agreement-relating-to-persia-afghanistan-and-tibet|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-22|website=Encyclopedia Iranica|language=en-US|archive-date=29 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429164549/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/anglo-russian-convention-of-1907-an-agreement-relating-to-persia-afghanistan-and-tibet}}</ref>

For a time, the British and Russian Empires moved together against potential German entrance into the Great Game, and against a constitutional movement in Iran that threatened to dispel the two-way sphere of influence.<ref name=":103"/> Russia had earlier established the [[Persian Cossack Brigade]] in 1879, a force which was led by Russian officers and served as a vehicle for Russian influence in Iran.<ref name=":92"/>

In 1908, the [[Persian Constitutional Revolution]] sought to establish a Western-oriented, democratic [[civil society]] in Iran, with an elected [[Majlis|Majilis]], a relatively free press and other reforms. Seeking to resolve financial problems of the Qajar dynasty such as heavy debts to Imperial Russia and Britain, the Majilis recruited the American financial expert, [[William Morgan Shuster|Morgan Schuster]], who later wrote the book ''The Strangling of Persia'' condemning Britain and Russia.<ref name=":103"/>

The [[Russian Empire involvement in the Persian Constitutional Revolution|Russian Empire intervened in the Persian Constitutional Revolution]] to support the Shah and abolish the constitution. The Cossacks [[1908 bombardment of the Majlis|bombarded the Majilis]] in June 1908 and occupied [[Tehran]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1099541849|title=Middle East conflicts from Ancient Egypt to the 21st century : an encyclopedia and document collection|date=2019|others=Spencer Tucker, Priscilla Mary Roberts|isbn=978-1-4408-5353-1|location=Santa Barbara, California|oclc=1099541849|access-date=24 October 2021|archive-date=14 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814065433/http://worldcat.org/oclc/1099541849|url-status=live}}</ref> Additional brigades of the Russian Army were also deployed to assist the Shah and [[Russian occupation of Tabriz|occupied Tabriz]] after April 1909.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=COSSACK BRIGADE |url=https://iranicaonline.org/ |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=Encyclopaedia Iranica |language=en-US |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506212443/https://iranicaonline.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Nonetheless, the constitutionalists were able to retake the capital and were initially victorious with the [[Triumph of Tehran]] in July 1909, and dispelled [[Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar]], who was exiled and took refuge with the Russians. When a new ruler, [[Ahmad Shah Qajar]], took power he found it difficult to completely reverse the constitutional reforms, yet the Qajar state was weakened by the upheaval and the Qajar court dependent on foreign powers. Meanwhile, Britain and Russia aligned to oust Shuster from Iran by an ultimatum in 1911 which was unanimously rejected by the Majilis.<ref name=":103"/><ref name=":14">{{Cite book |last=Afary |first=Janet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fl_ZmZ7B5BEC&pg=PA331 |title=The Iranian Constitutional Revolution, 1906–1911: Grassroots Democracy, Social Democracy, & the Origins of Feminism |date=1996 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-10351-0 |pages=330–338 |language=en |access-date=22 May 2022 |archive-date=24 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124202711/https://books.google.com/books?id=Fl_ZmZ7B5BEC&pg=PA331 |url-status=live }}</ref> British and Russian officials coordinated as the Russian army, still present in Persia, invaded the capital again and suspended the parliament. The Tsar ordered the troops in Tabriz "to act harshly and quickly", while purges were ordered, leading to many executions of prominent revolutionaries. The British Ambassador, [[George Head Barclay]] reportedly disapproved of this "reign of terror", though would soon pressure Persian ministers to officialize the Anglo-Russian partition of Iran. By June 1914, Russia established near-total control over its northern zone, while Britain had established influence over [[Baloch people|Baluch]] and [[Bakhtiari people|Bakhtiari]] autonomous tribal leaders in the southeastern zone.<ref name=":14" /> Qajar Iran would become a battleground between Russian, Ottoman, and British forces in the [[Persian campaign (World War I)|Persian campaign of World War I]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Syed |first1=Muzaffar Husain |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eACqCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA221 |title=Concise History of Islam |last2=Akhtar |first2=Syed Saud |last3=Usmani |first3=B. D. |date=14 September 2011 |publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd |isbn=978-93-82573-47-0 |pages=221 |language=en |access-date=22 May 2022 |archive-date=24 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124202728/https://books.google.com/books?id=eACqCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA221 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":14" />
[[File:Persia claims in Aral-Caspian region~Paris PC~1919.jpg|thumb|Persia claims in Central Asia at Versailles Peace Conference in 1918, after the World War]]