This book examines the diplomatic activities and behind-the-scene negotiations which led to the Karun opening, including an 'Assurance' given by Britain to the Shah against a Russian retaliation. It also provides a comprehensive analysis of the region's demography, commerce and industry before the advent of the Karun, and the impact of Britain's political and commercial penetration, which eventually resulted in her total domination of the south. This analytical study of the Anglo-Iranian relationship is unique in its extensive use of primary Persian sources and original material found at the Iranian Foreign Ministry archives which have been accessed by the author for the first time.

This book discusses an important area of the Persian Gulf region: Southwest Persia. In the late 1800s, the British put pressure on the Iranian government to open up a certain route through the Southwest of the country, and this in turn affected the economic development of the region. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the area's people, commerce and industry and the impact of British influence there at the turn of the nineteenth century.