As an irredentist monarch, Nadir Shah dragged Iran into war with Turkey in 1743. There was no question, at this time, of driving Turkish occupation forces out of Iran, as had been the case during the wars of 1730-36. Nadir's fundamental objective now was to reestablish Iranian control over Baghdad. He attempted to cloak his irredentist claims by demanding that the Sultan recognize an artificially created sect, the Jafariyah, under the threat of war. The war of 1743 produced no gains. He captured Kirkuk and Mosul but could not hold them. Having concluded peace with Russia in 1739, Turkey stiffly resisted Nadir’s “World-Conquering” army. The result was that he was forced not only to abandon his campaign but also to relinquish his demand that the Sultan recognize the Jafariyah sect." He then signed a treaty of peace with Turkey at Kurdan in 1746, although he was assassinated by his own oppressed subjects before its ratification. Nadir’s insatiable territorial greed and military adventures were not confined to the “former territories” of Iran. In 1738 Nadir invaded India and in 1740 Turkistan and Daghistan. At the same time he planned to gain a foothold in Musqat and Oman in order to establish naval supremacy in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Nadir Shah and His Intelligent Policies in Dealing with Russian Enemies
