Tom Holland

I suppose the great advantage that the Shah has over other would-be dictatorial figures in the mid-20th century is that he does have this incredible historical legacy to draw on.

You see, I think that's a mistake.

I think if he'd gone for the full long beard as worn by Duras, great.

He might have cut a better figure.

He's got slight kind of suave good looks of James Mason.

Well, he has it at Persepolis, which is the great city of the ancient Persian kings burnt by Alexander the Great, and which is an extraordinary place to visit.

But as you visit it,

you go past the kind of rusting remains of the tent poles that had provided this amazing kind of jamboree for people, Dominic, who had come from across the world, hadn't they?

So he had all kinds of glamorous figures, Ceausescu from Romania, Mobutu, Imelda Marcos, and perhaps the most sinister figure of all, Princess Anne.

I mean, basically, it's petrodollars, isn't it?

And this is the kind of stuff that oil shakes are going to be doing after the oil shock.

So it's completely believable.

And are they particularly targeting poets, which is the big thing in South America, isn't it?

Do you know what?

I haven't.

And that is that is a plus mark for the Shah and probably reflects the the ancient tradition of Persian poetry.

But Dominic, just to say, I mean, the Arabs have always hated and feared the Iranians.

And Saddam Hussein, who is in Iraq and, you know, prominent leader there of the Ba'atists,

He had this famous phrase, which was one of his favourites.

There are three whom God should not have created, flies, Jews and Persians.