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 Portugal |  Iran |
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Diplomatic relations between thePortuguese Republic and theIslamic Republic of Iran date back to the 16th century, following the establishment of thePortuguese State of India. Iran has an embassy inLisbon. Portugal has an embassy inTehran.
Thefirst interactions between Portugal and Iran date back to the 16th century, during the period of theSafavid dynasty, when a Portuguese armada led byAfonso de Albuquerquestormed and captured Ormuz in 1507. From that moment on, the two countries initiated a period of intense interaction, with multiple embassies and envoys sent by the two nations. In 1513, Afonso de Albuquerque, as governor of Portuguese India, sent Miguel Ferreira and João Ferreira to Persia, as ambassadors to the ShahIsmail of Persia.[1]
In 1515, after his defeat at theBattle of Chaldiran against the Ottomans, Ismail sought help from Albuquerque, which allowed Portugal to reaffirm its dominance over thePersian Gulf. Albuquerque supported the idea of an Iran-Europe alliance against the Ottomans and urged Ismail to send envoys to Lisbon.[2] In 1580, Portugallost its independence, butSpain honored the alliance and provided Sultan Muhammad Shah with firearms from Ormuz.[3]
During the reign ofAbbas the Great, the Iran-Portugal relations worsened as Abbas resented Portugal-Spain for controlling territories he regarded as rightfully his and enjoying the substantial customs revenue from the trade that passed through Ormuz and the neighbouring mainlandport of Gamru, which Portugal also controlled. His resentment was exacerbated by continuing tales of Portuguese ill treatment of Iranian merchants on Ormuz, therefore he allowedAllahverdi Khan to conquerBahrain, which was yet another portuguese possession. This led to a small skirmish between Portugal and Iran, but Portuguese diplomatAntonio de Gouvea managed to defuse the situation.[4]
After thePeace of Zsitvatorok, which ended the conflicts between theOttoman Empire and theHabsburg monarchy in 1606, the Ottomans turned their focus on Iran, and Abbas felt betrayed by his allies once more. In 1608, the governor ofLar occupied theisland of Qishm, which was the main water supplier of Ormuz. Antonio de Gouvea returned to Iran to mend relations between countries, but the letter he delivered fromKing Philip of Spain offered no military support and no diplomatic advancements were made. Still, afraid to alienate possible allies, the Abbas didn't further escalate the situation and continued his attempts to re-enlist Portugal-Spain and other European powers in his fight against the Ottomans, but to no avail.[5]
In 1614, the Abbas finally directed his anger against Spain and Portugal by attacking the Portuguese port of Gamru. An attack on Ormuz itself was not feasible due to Iran's lack of warships, in addition to the worsening relations between Iran and the Ottomans. Shah Abbas therefore opened negotiations with the Portuguese on Ormuz, although he made it clear he had no intention of handing back any of the places he had seized.[6]
With an alliance between Iran andEngland appearing imminent, Portugal-Spain began resorting to increasingly extreme measures to prevent it. The Portuguese had already attempted to kill English ambassadorRobert Sherley, by blowing up his house in 1612. Then, in 1619, Portuguese admiralRui Freire de Andrada was sent to Ormuz with a fleet of five galleons and orders to prevent any other European power trading with Iran and to build a fort on the island of Qishm.[7] However, when Rui Freire's fleet arrived at Ormuz in 1620, it was promptly defeated by the English. Finally, in 1622, the Iranians joined forces with the English and finally retook Ormuz, effectively ending a century of Portuguese hegemony in the Persian Gulf.The Iranians looted the island and kept most of the spoils of war, which angered the English, so when the Iranians asked them for help in attacking PortugueseMuscat, they refused.[8]
At the time, Robert Sherley was in Madrid trying to convince Spain-Portugal to rejoin an anti-Ottoman alliance with Iran, but all his efforts foundered on Spain's condition that Ormuz had to be returned.[9] In 1625, there was an attempt to reclaim Ormuz by Portugal-Spain, which culminated in a great naval battle off Hormuz between eight Portuguese galleons and an Anglo-Dutch fleet of similar strength. With the battle ending in a stalemate, the Portuguese finally gave up on Ormuz.[10]
During the 20th century, the relations between the two countries were renewed, with the first Portuguese consulate inTehran opening in December 1932, followed by a Portuguese Legation in the same city on 11 May 1956, which would eventually become an embassy. On 15 October 1956, the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Portugal inAnkara, Luís Norton de Matos, presented his credentials as Non-resident Ambassador in Tehran, becoming the first diplomatic representative of Portugal in Iran in the modern era.[11]
Throughout the first two decades of the 20th century, the relations between the two countries intensified, several bilateral agreements were signed, and a number of official visits by officials from both countries occurred. In 2008, the 500th anniversary of the relations between the two countries was celebrated.
Several bilateral agreements have been signed by the two countries, including:[1][12]
Furthermore, numerous Memorandums of Understanding were signed between different Ministries of the two countries, regarding cooperation in the fields of Education, Culture, Science, Technology, Sports, Tourism, Historical and Patrimonial Documentation, Agriculture and Political Consultations.
Over the last decades, several high level visits took place, including the following:[1]
The two countries maintain a modest, but consistent economic and commercial relationship. The total of goods traded by the two countries in 2019 amounted to 21.99 million dollars, with a surplus from the Portuguese perspective of 5.21 million dollars.[14]
Iran was in 2020 the 104th client of Portuguese exports, with a quota of 0.02% of the total of Portuguese exports in that year, while it was the 130th largest exporter of goods to Portugal, with a quota of 0.002% of the total, in the same period.[15]
The main products exported from Portugal to Iran in 2020 were Agricultural Products, Food Products, Common Metals, Minerals and Ores, and Machinery and other Equipment. In the same year, the main groups of products exported to Portugal by Iran were Minerals and Ores, Agricultural Products and Chemical Products.[15]
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