Oil Partnership Agreement with Italy during the Second Pahlavi Era

Document Type : .

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of History, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.30465/ehs.2025.52086.2046
Abstract
Following the conclusion of the Consortium Agreement, the Iranian government, aiming to alter the terms of oil concessions and to benefit from emerging international opportunities, initiated a new tender with revised conditions. In this context, the Italian company AGIP was selected as the winner and began its activities in Iran through a joint venture called SIRIP. This collaboration marked an important step toward diversifying Iran’s oil partners and securing a greater share of revenues. Adopting a descriptive-analytical approach and relying on archival documents, the present study examines the oil-related interactions between Iran and Italy from 1953 to 1979 (1332 to 1357 SH). It seeks to answer the question: How did the oil agreement with Italy influence the oil market and petroleum companies? The hypothesis suggests that the agreement with AGIP and the establishment of SIRIP reflect a deliberate effort by the Iranian government to increase economic gains, compete with Western oil companies, and reinforce an independent oil policy within the framework of economic diplomacy with Europe—particularly Italy.

Keywords


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  • Receive Date 02 June 2025
  • Revise Date 17 July 2025
  • Accept Date 10 August 2025