Occupation of Ahwaz and the End of Independent Arab Rule under Sheikh Khazal
We, the Arab people of Ahwaz, with one voice and steadfast resolve, declare in this official and historic statement that February 3, 1925, marks one of the darkest and most decisive days in our nation’s history — the day when independent Arab sovereignty in the land of Ahwaz was completely suppressed and occupied by the criminal and occupying Iranian state through military force and in collusion with foreign colonial powers.
This event was not merely a military occupation, but the beginning of systematic policies aimed at erasing identity, imposing racial discrimination, suppressing culture, and dismantling the social structure of the Arab people of Ahwaz — policies that continue to this day in various forms.
The official report from the British consul in Ahwaz, sent via telegram to the British ambassador in Tehran on February 3, 1925, is a historical and undeniable document attesting to the reality of this occupation. The document states:
“The military occupation and control over Arabistan (Ahwaz) has now been completed. Military forces are stationed in the headquarters of all Arab tribes. Tribal leaders no longer take orders from Sheikh Khazal but from Iranian military authorities. The Sheikh and his son have been removed from the political scene.”
This document is not only clear evidence of the occupation of Ahwaz but also proof that Sheikh Khazal — the last legitimate and independent Arab ruler — was overthrown not through legal process or the will of the Arab people of Ahwaz, but by force of arms and foreign intervention.
The criminal government of Reza Shah (Pahlavi I), through the military occupation of Ahwaz and the suppression of the political and social systems of the Arab nation, bears direct responsibility for the onset of an era of internal colonialism, racial oppression, and denial of Ahwazi national identity.
We declare that:
- The occupation of Ahwaz in 1925 was a blatant violation of the right to self-determination of the Arab people of Ahwaz.
- This occupation was carried out against the will and wishes of the land’s original inhabitants.
- And today, nearly a century later, its consequences remain evident in the form of structural poverty, economic discrimination, demographic change, cultural erasure, and political repression.
We, as the Arab people of Ahwaz, firmly believe:
- The history of the occupation of Ahwaz must be documented accurately and without distortion.
- The crimes resulting from this occupation must not be forgotten.
- And silence in the face of injustice amounts to complicity with the occupiers.
We will continue to resist.
This statement is not just a historical reminder — it is a cry from the heart of a resilient nation still fighting for self-determination, justice, freedom, and the reclamation of its identity.
Ahwaz is occupied — but its people will never surrender.
Faisal Khalil Ahwazi