Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 234 War is Imminent
"How is this going!"

Abdul Mejid was scolding several Pashas like he was disciplining dogs. Although he was also dissatisfied with the Shiites, the sudden turn of events caught him off guard.

In recent years, there have been attacks by extreme Sunnis against Shiites and vice versa, but these have all been suppressed by the Ottoman Empire. As long as its core Anatolia remained intact, that was all that mattered. Under these policies, Anatolian Shiites migrated south to Syria and Mesopotamia. There haven't been any major conflicts between the two sides.

But the Ottoman soldiers' intrusion into the Shia holy city shattered the facade of peace. Moreover, soldiers breaking into mosques is something even Christians wouldn't dare to do; these soldiers are quite bold.

The situation in Iran deeply worried Ambassador Osman, who was stationed in Tehran. He sent three letters back home, detailing the situation and pleading with the Sultan and Grand Vizier to come up with a solution as soon as possible, otherwise war with Iran would be imminent.

Originally, the Ottoman upper class had no recollection of this in Istanbul. They thought it was just a visit to the Najaf Mosque, nothing serious.

Wait a minute? Najaf Mosque? This is serious!
“Sultan, we must make a quick decision this time. Protests have erupted not only in Najaf, but also in Damascus, Baghdad, Latakia, and other places.”

"Then let the soldiers suppress them; these people are all traitors."

The Sultan had descended into hysteria, but Reshid Pasha remained rational. He knew that if this conflict wasn't handled properly, it could escalate into another war. The Ottomans hadn't yet recovered from the Crimean War, and fighting at this time would be a true test of their financial system.

"Sultan, please calm down. Things have come to this point, and we should resolve this through negotiations. If war breaks out, I fear that Britain, France, and Russia will intervene in our country."

Reshid Pasha demanded the mitigation of this situation entirely because the Ottoman Empire was unprepared. Although their initial plans regarding Iran sounded promising, their implementation was chaotic.

You said there were 35 well-trained Ottoman troops, and yes, they were indeed capable of fighting. However, the abolition of the Demisemeh system led to the infiltration of a large number of thugs and untrained vagrants into the new army, resulting in lax discipline and neglected training. The new army became a corrupt class, unable to effectively carry out its missions.

You said the Ottomans borrowed 5000 million francs from Britain and France for military expenses, but in reality, less than one-fifth of that money actually ended up in the military's pockets. The rest was kept by the Pashas and the Sultan. Otherwise, why would the Sultan begin building a new palace just three days after the loan arrived?

Moreover, Ottoman local finances were in complete disarray, with rampant corruption among officials. For every lira turned over to the national treasury, at least five or six lira ended up in the pockets of these officials.

It's important to understand that Iran's spending was higher than the Ottoman Empire's because it undertook large-scale construction projects and simultaneously pursued industrialization. The Ottoman Empire, lacking these two costly expenditures, still had such a high deficit, which illustrates just how dire its finances were.

Abdul seemed unconcerned about this. He said sadly, "Does this mean that all the countries in the world must oppose the Empire?"

Reshid Pasha reassured the Sultan that this was merely a temporary measure. They could simply tear up the agreement once the turmoil subsided. The British and French had done a good job in this regard; this was a form of Westernization for them.

"We still need to be prepared, and everything needs to be done in advance. The Empire must seek help from Britain and France, otherwise this matter cannot be resolved."

Everyone present knew that the Ottoman Empire had managed to retain its Balkan territories thanks to excellent diplomacy during the Crimean War. However, events had spiraled out of their control, and the conflict between Shiites and Sunnis was escalating. Previously, relations had been relatively amicable unless there were major incidents, but now that the Sunnis had stormed into Shiite holy sites and committed murder, there was nothing more to say.

Shia Muslims across the Ottoman Empire protested the Ottoman government's atrocities, and in Latakia, they even hanged the local governor.

With the Shia conflict so severe, the Sunnis have also retaliated, and the sectarian struggle has intensified from Anatolia to Jerusalem. Shia communities have formed local militias, using mosques as their centers for defense.

Meanwhile, Sunnis continued to attack Shia Muslims, with more than 20 Shia Muslims and 15 Sunnis dying in a single month.

The terms of the discussion, which were transmitted from Istanbul, reached Tehran at top speed. They mainly concerned compensation, while the issue of the perpetrator was temporarily put on hold because they could not be found.

"Why are you still playing word games?"

Naserdin looked at the diplomatic documents requesting peace, but still felt that it was necessary to let public opinion ferment a little longer.

Now, not only Iran, but even powerful families on the Arabian Peninsula are threatening to send troops. Given the Ottoman Empire's history of bullying the weak and fearing the strong, how can they expect to have a good life?
"Shah, the current situation is favorable to our country. We can take this opportunity to declare war on the Ottomans."

Salami proposed war to the Shah, and this time no one objected. If they didn't agree, the anger of the people would consume them.

"I am glad that you have all reached an agreement. Since the Ottomans are already in this state, let Iran be the one to send them off to their graves."

All plans are in place. Iran has issued a preliminary mobilization order, mobilizing 25 people, with industrial production focused on military production.

So, before the war even started, 1000 million rials had already been spent. Fortunately, there were still funds available for the war against the Ottomans. Furthermore, the public raised funds again, and although it only amounted to 200 million rials, it effectively reflected the national sentiment. Funds also arrived from the Far East, allowing Iran to temporarily avoid the extreme pressure of exploiting its citizens to raise funds.

The most difficult aspect is diplomacy. Iran must keep Britain, France, and Russia in check.

Fortunately, Russia was embroiled in internal strife over the emancipation of serfs, and Britain was preoccupied with its affairs in India, leaving France with ample time. Napoleon III wanted to build a canal in Egypt and was in discussions with the Egyptians. When the Iranian ambassador visited the Tuileries Palace, Napoleon still had a map of the canal on his desk.

As a long-time friend of the Ottomans, Napoleon was unwilling to see them weakened excessively. However, one of the two—Iran or the Ottomans—had to die. Naser al-Din didn't want Iran to go, so the Ottomans had to suffer the consequences.

Besides, wasn't it simply that they were unwilling to relinquish the trade profits from the Ottoman Empire? Why not replace them with colonies? Although the locations were quite far, at least in those places, France could do whatever it wanted.

(End of this chapter)