IOR/L/PS/10/856/3

The papers relate to work of the Anglo-Persian Committee for the revision of the [Anglo]-Persian [Iranian] Customs Tariff, set up under the provisions of Article 6 of the Anglo-Persian ‘Agreement between His Britannic Majesty’s Government and the Persian Government’, signed at Tehran, 9 August 1919 (ff 156-157), including:

• Discussion of the aims and objectives of the Committee (see folios 126, 114 and 101), and the reasons why the tariff not should be framed to discriminate against German, Austrian and Turkish trade
• Information regarding local duties on numerous commodities and articles, and customs arrangements (including customs evasion), forwarded to the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign and Political Department, Delhi, by the British consuls in Bandar Abbas, Sistan and Kain [Qayen or Qaen], Meshed [Mashhad], and Mohammerah [Khorramshahr]; the Deputy Political Resident in Persian Gulf; and the Chargé d’Affaires and Special Commissioner, Tehran
• Discussion concerning whether the Russo-Persian Customs Convention of 1902 and the commercial treaty of 1873 between Germany and Persia are technically still in force
• Notes on the potential effect of revised duties on the Manchester textile trade (ff 144-145)
• A copy of the ‘Minutes of Meetings of the Joint Anglo-Persian Committee for the revision of the Persian Customs Tariff’ (12 February-9 March 1920), including names of the Persian and British members and annexes listing suggested amendments of duties on textiles and manufactures, foodstuffs, alcohol and alcoholic beverages, skins and manufactures thereof, livestock, etc. (ff 67-86)
• Objections to the new customs tariff, in December 1921, by the authorities (‘Centro Soyuz’) at Enzeli [Bandar-e Anzali] (ff 64-65)
• New restrictive measures proposed by the Persian Government on exports and imports in 1922, including: the detailed views of the Board of Trade, notably regarding prohibitions proposed on the import of ‘luxuries’ (ff 33-51); and the claim by Sir Percy Loraine, British Legation in Tehran (stated in folios 21-22 and 25), that the scheme was abandoned following his detailed letter to the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs setting ‘forth the inherent defects of the proposals’ (ff 53-63, in French)
• The proposed prohibition by the Persian Government in 1923 on the import of certain ‘so-called luxury articles in Persia’ and discussion of the possible true reasons behind the policy, including original and revised lists of luxury articles issued by the Tehran government (ff 5-18).

The principal correspondents are: Sir Percy Cox [Acting Minister] in Tehran (December 1919-February 1920); the Foreign Office; the Board of Trade, Commercial Relations and Treaties Department; the Governor of Bombay [Mumbai]; the Government of India; and Percy Loraine. Note that there is some overlap of documents with IOR/L/PS/10/856/2.