Anglo-Persian Oil Company
The Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) was a British company founded in 1909 following the discovery of a large oil field in Masjed Soleiman, Persia (Iran). The British government purchased 51% of the company in 1914, gaining a controlling number of shares, effectively nationalizing the company. It was the first company to extract petroleum from Iran. In 1935 APOC was renamed the "Anglo-Iranian Oil Company" (AIOC) when Reza Shah formally asked foreign countries to refer to Persia by its endonym Iran.
The former Anglo-Persian Oil Company (now Foreign Ministry No.3) building in Tehran | |
| Industry | Petroleum |
|---|---|
| Founded | 14 April 1909 |
| Founders |
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| Defunct | 16 December 1954 |
| Fate | Became "British Petroleum Company", assets nationalised by the Iranian government |
| Successor | National Iranian Oil Company BP |
| Headquarters | Tehran , |
Area served | Iran |
| Products | Gasoline, motor oils |
In 1954, it was renamed again to the "British Petroleum Company", one of the antecedents of the modern BP public limited company. The government of Mohammad Mosaddegh nationalized the company's local infrastructure assets and gave the new company the name National Iranian Oil Company.