The navy of Persia [Iran] according to the Dutch newspaper Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant evening edition dated 31 July 1929

The Balkan correspondent of the newspaper wrote 25 July that the Persian government ordered the Italian government yards to built four large and six smaller gunboats of 1,200 and 850 tons destined for the coastal defence, border patrol and so on. The exact costs were unknown, the government budget mentioned 5,000,000 or 2,000,00 Dutch guilders for annual maintenance. The ships were to be in March 1930 in actual service. He believed that founding a navy station at the Persian Gulf had something to do with the disagreement between the British and Persian governments to who the Bahrein islands belonged. The geographic location of these islands was of a main importance for England as a naval station at the entrance of the Persian Gulf. Bahrein was a protectorate of the British Indian government although Persia claimed that despite being more or les independent Bahrein had always been part of Persia. It was unknown how the British would react when Persia stationed one of her new gunboats at Bahrein. A second area in which Persia became more and more active was the Caspian Sea. According to the treaty between Persia and the Soviet Union signed in 1920 acquired Persia the right to hoist her war flag again on these waters something which was forbidden since 1828. In the end of last year were the three gunboats ordered by Persia at Astrachan for showing the flag on the Caspian Sea delivered and together with the gunboats ordered in Italy the Persian navy was considerable increased and a factor of importance in the negotiations between England and Persia.