891.6363/12–344: Telegram
The Ambassador in Iran (Morris) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 7—1:08 a.m.]
895. The Majlis yesterday received and enacted during the same session the following introduced by Dr. Mossadegh.90
“Article 1. No Prime Minister or Minister or Acting Minister or Under Secretary of State may undertake any official discussions or discussions having a local character or sign any agreement regarding a petroleum concession with official or unofficial representatives of neighboring or distant governments or with representatives of oil companies or with any other person.
Article 2. The Prime Minister and the Ministers may undertake negotiations for the sale of petroleum and with regard to the manner in which the Iranian Government is to exploit and administer its oil wells; the Majlis must however be informed of the progress of the negotiations.
Article 3. Any person or persons violating the above provisions will be sentenced to from 3 to 8 years of imprisonment and will be permanently debarred from Government office.”
Sent to Department repeated to Moscow, London, Cairo, Baghdad.
- Mohammed Mossadegh, Deputy in the Majlis.↩