<P> The Iran crisis of 1946, also known as the Azerbaijan Crisis (Persian: غائله آذربایجان ‎ translit.: Qaʾilih Âzarbâyjân), followed the end of World War II and stemmed from the Soviet Union's refusal to relinquish occupied Iranian territory, despite repeated assurances . </P> <P> As of August 1941, the United States was a neutral nation and had not yet entered as a belligerent in World War II . Therefore, the bloc known as' The Allies' were principally (with Poland and France occupied by Germany in 1939 and 1940, respectively) the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, recently forming their alliance after the German invasion of territories of the Western Soviet Union in June 1941 . In August--September 1941, Pahlavi Iran had been jointly invaded and occupied by the Allied powers of the Soviet Red Army in the north and by the British in the centre and south . Iran was used by the Americans and the British as a transportation route to provide vital supplies to the Soviet Union's war efforts . </P> <P> In the aftermath of the occupation of Iran, those Allied forces agreed to withdraw from Iran within six months after the cessation of hostilities . However, when this deadline came in early 1946, the Soviets, under Joseph Stalin, remained in Iran and local pro-Soviet Iranians proclaimed a separatist People's Republic of Azerbaijan . In late 1945, in addition to the People's Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Mahabad also came into existence, fueled by Kurdish separatists . Soon, the alliance of the Kurdish and People's Azerbaijani forces, supported in arms and training by the Soviet Union, engaged in fighting with Iranian forces, resulting in a total of 2,000 casualties . Negotiation by Iranian premier Ahmad Qavam and diplomatic pressure on the Soviets by the United States eventually led to Soviet withdrawal and dissolution of the separatist Azeri and Kurdish states . The crisis is seen as one of the early conflicts in the growing Cold War at the time . </P> <P> After Germany broke its pact with the Soviets and invaded the USSR in June 1941, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union jointly occupied Iran as a preventative measure, starting on August 25, 1941, and justified their invasion by the need to use Iran as a gateway for delivery of Lend - Lease supplies to the Soviet Union . As a result, Rezā Shāh was forced to abdicate on September 16, 1941 and exiled to Mauritius; his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the crown prince, became the new monarch . Their joint' Tripartite Treaty' of January 1942 declared that their military presence was not an occupation, proclaimed Iran to be their ally, and pledged to withdraw their troops within six months of the end of the war . </P>

How did the iran crisis increase cold war tension
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