The Saadabad Pact established a multilateral non-aggression agreement among Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan, promoting regional stability in the Middle East.
Key Facts
- Signing date
- 8 July 1937
- Signatories
- Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan
- Initial duration
- 5 years
- Ratifications exchanged
- 25 June 1938, Tehran
- League of Nations registration
- 19 July 1938
- Auto-extended in
- 1943 for a further five years
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Regional diplomatic interests converged in the mid-1930s: Iraq's Bakr Sidqi government, led by Kurdish and Turkmen officials, sought ties with non-Arab eastern neighbours, while Turkey pursued friendly relations with nearby states as it recovered from World War I and the Turkish War of Independence. Afghanistan's King Mohammed Zahir Shah also championed broader Middle Eastern-oriental cooperation.
On 8 July 1937, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan signed the Treaty of Saadabad at Tehran's Saadabad Palace. The pact was a non-aggression agreement formalising peaceful relations among the four states. Ratifications were exchanged on 25 June 1938, and the treaty was registered with the League of Nations on 19 July 1938.
The treaty remained in force for its initial five-year term and was automatically extended in 1943 for a further five years, as no signatory renounced it. After the extended term expired, the pact officially ended, having provided roughly a decade of formal non-aggression commitments among the four signatory states.
Political Outcome
Non-aggression pact signed and maintained for approximately ten years, fostering diplomatic ties among Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan.