Iran crisis of 1946

1945-11-01 - 1946-12-15

After World War II, the Soviet Union refused to withdraw its troops from occupied northern Iran as agreed, and pro-Soviet separatist regimes were proclaimed in Azerbaijan and the Kurdish region of Mahabad. Under pressure from the United States and the United Nations, the Soviets withdrew, and Iran reasserted control. The episode was one of the first postwar crises and an early test of the U.S. containment policy.