The Beginning and Conclusion of Irano-German Trade Relations through the Caspian Sea: A Study of Berlin-Moscow interactions in Iran (1922 - 1924)

In 1922, the Caspian Sea, with the consent of the revolutionary Government of the Soviet Union, experienced the commercial presence and shipping of the Weimar Germans who had commenced trade with the Iranian ports in southern coast of the Caspian through the Baltic Sea and the Volga River. Despite the establishment of the regular Hamburg-Caspian-Anzali line and the increased Irano-German trade in a short time, the line was stopped soon (1924). The present study, using historical-analytical methods, examines the impact of political conditions in Europe on the presence and short-term business activity of the Germans in the Caspian Sea. The findings show that in response to political developments in Europe, Soviet Russia had agreed to transit German goods through Russia and the Caspian to Iran. This endeavor, despite success, failed as the Soviet government revised her policy soon. This indicate that Soviet strategy, free from economic gains and losses, did not tolerate the presence and activity of the western countries in the Caspian Sea.