Iran, the United States, and the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971

Following of its declaration of independence on March 26, 1971, the nascent nation of Bangladesh fought an eight months long war with Pakistan. In the final weeks of this war, India joined in to support Bangladesh, thereby provoking a new Indo-Pakistani War. But the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 wasn’t just a conflict between three South Asian nations but a sensitive moment in the global Cold. Recent scholarship has done more to elucidate the international aspects of the war, in particular the role of Soviet Union in support of Bangladesh and the triangle of the United States (under Nixon and Kissinger), UK and China in support of Pakistan. But Middle Eastern countries also had a pivotal role in the conflict. This paper focuses on the role of Shah’s Iran which was then at the height of its good relationship with Washington. Violating the US congress-imposed sanctions on Pakistan, Nixon sent military help to Pakistan which was routed through Iran and also asked Iran to help Pakistan directly. Iran followed suit, including by giving cover to Pakistani air force which used Iranian airbases and bunkers during the conflict. The Shah’s help to Pakistan was justified as part of his pan-Islamic and anti-communist orientation while Tehran and New Delhi were both careful to continue their ties after the war. Basing itself on archival material from US, UK and Iran, this paper looks at Iran’s intervention in this seminal Cold War conflict.