IOR/L/PS/9/70/181

A translation of an ‘exposé’ of the causes of the outbreak of war between Russia and Persia [Iran] [Russo-Persian War, 1826-1828] given to Mirza Mohomed Alli [Mirza Muhammad ‘Ali Khan Shirazi] for his mission to Tiflis [Tbilisi]. The paper details Persian allegations of Russian encroachments upon Persian territory, defined according to the terms of the previous peace treaty agreed between the two nations [Treaty of Gulistan, 1813], including in Talish [Talysh], Carabaugh [Karabakh] and on the shores of the lake of Gokcheh [Lake Sevan], and gives an account of the negotiations between the two sides as the Persians sought redress for these encroachments. The paper lays the blame for the outbreak of war on the encroachments made on Persian territory by Russian troops and argues that Persia had commenced hostilities after having failed to obtain redress for the continued Russian encroachments through negotiation, indicating that despite the outbreak of hostilities the Persian Government wishes for peace.

This translation was originally enclosed, numbered 2, in the letter of the East India Company Envoy to Persia, Lieutenant-Colonel John Macdonald Kinneir, to the Secret Committee of the East India Company of 11 February 1827 (IOR/L/PS/9/70/179).