From Territorial Dispute to Diplomatic Partnership

For decades leading up to 1971, Iran officially considered Bahrain its "14th Province." This wasn't just a minor disagreement; it was a cornerstone of Iranian foreign policy. Maps in Tehran showed Bahrain as part of Iran, and any international organization that treated Bahrain as independent faced formal protests from the Iranian government. This created a massive cloud of uncertainty over the future of the archipelago as the British prepared to withdraw from the Persian Gulf.