1921 Mirza Abdul Ali Khan Siddiq al-Saltanah, the Persian ambassador in Washington DC asked whether the United States would supply aircraft to form the nucleus of a Persian Air Force. The request was declined. Following this, similar requests were made of Germany, Russia and France. Since there were no provisions in the budget for purchase of aircraft, H.I.M. Reza Shah Pahlavi (at this time Prime Minister) asked the Iranian people to raise needed funds to purchase these aircraft. Following this request, the people of Gilan and Mazanderan province raised the funds to purchase 2 Junkers F-13 from Germany. The contract was signed, the aircraft were delivered, and were called “Gilan” and “Mazanderan”. Following Germany, Russia agreed to sell aircraft to Iran. Iran purchased DH-4 and DH-9 (built in Russia, called R-1 and R-5) and Avro-504, from Russia (the Russians called it AVROSHKA).These aircraft were delivered in 1923 (1302). At the same time France also agreed to sell aircraft to Iran so IIAF purchased Spad-42, Potez-8, Breguet-14, and Breguet-19 from France. http://www.iiaf.net/iiaf/ “Gilan” and “Mazanderan” 5 May 1921 The “London Ultimatum” imposed a one-year ban on the construction and export of commercial aircraft. First flight of the Junkers F 13 - Junkers 13 October 1921 The Postmaster-General announced that the air mails for Iraq (Mesopotamia) which were dispatched from London on October 13 and 20 reached Baghdad by air from Cairo on October 30. In future, dispatches for onward transmission by the fortnightly Cairo-Baghdad air service will be made from London fortnightly on Thursday evenings, instead of weekly as heretofore. Correspondence included in them for Bushire and for all places in Persia north and west of it, as well as for Iraq, should gain from at least 3 days (Bushire) up to 14 or more days (Baghdad, Isfahan, etc.) in time of transmission. A special air fee of 1s. per ounce is charged in addition to ordinary imperial postage. Each packet should
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