This BBC documentary by writer and journalist Christopher de Bellaigue explores the history and relationship between Iran and Britain. In the early days Iran, then called Persia was just another colony of the enormous British Empire. When oil was discovered this was to change. World War I taught the British the strategic significance of oil as oil based machines such as tanks, warships and planes proved to be decisive in the new era of warfare. The British government just before the war had bought a 50% share in the Anglo Persian Oil Company (now BP) which meant oil and politics were to become very inter related.
As the oil industry in Iran grew so to did the British dependence on oil and it’s need to control it. The Iranian people themselves also knew this and rightly wanted control of it themselves. This would be the source of contention that caused much of the events since 1950 onwards that would cause much suffering to the Iranian people. The reality of the day was that neither party should of had complete control, but the absolute colonial ways of the British would butt against the equally absolute mindsets of the Iranian leaders and the middle ground could never be reached.
This documentary covers those events and the how both sides view the events. A good watch to start to understand how Iran sees things.