MI6 Tehran Station

The Tehran station of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6 or SIS) was originally established during the Second World War, when Iran was occupied by British and Soviet forces.

In 1953, Tehran was the scene of one of the most controversial covert operations ever carried out by western intelligence services, when MI6 and the CIA jointly instigated the overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. Therafter, MI6 became increasingly dependent on its liaison relationship with Shah and his secret services. Some sources suggest the Tehran station was almost defunct before the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Second World War

The MI6 Tehran Station began operating in April 1940, with the code-number 82000 (ref 1, p.436). Its initial focus on Soviet activity changed dramatically after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which led to a joint Anglo-Soviet occupation of Iran (ref 1, p.436).

It was one of a number of stations under the Inter-Services Liaison Department (ISLD), MI6's wartime Middle-Eastern cover organisation, headed by Cuthbert Bowlby in Cairo (ref 2, p.128). Several other British intelligence organisations were active in Iran at the same time, with MI5 represented by the Defence Security Office Persia, and the Special Operations Executive (SOE) also present (ref 11, p.101).

Adrian O'Sullivan suggests that SOE officer Robin Zaehner and his assistant Norman Darbyshire may have been working for MI6 under another layer of cover . There were some tensions with DSO Persia, who felt that their intelligence was being passed of as MI6 material (ref 11, p.103).