The Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. (United Kingdom v. Iran) case was a dispute between the UK and Iran, in which the UK alleged that the Iranian Oil Nationalization act of 1951 was counter to a convention agreed upon by the (then) Anglo-Persian Oil Co. (now BP) and the Imperial Government of Persia (now Iran) in 1933, which granted the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. a 60-year license to mine oil in 100,000 square miles (260,000 km2) of Iran in return for a percentage royalty.
On 26 May 1951, the UK took Iran to the International Court of Justice, demanding that the 1933 agreement be upheld and that Iran pay damages and compensation for disrupting the UK-incorporated company's profits.
On 22 July 1952, the ICJ decided because Iran had only conceded to ICJ jurisdiction in cases involving treaties agreed upon after 1932, and as the only treaty cited by the UK after that date was between Iran and a foreign company (and not the UK itself), that it had no jurisdiction in this matter (Iran's original contention). This was a main reason leading to the coup d'état in 1953.
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