Why did the Pahlavi government seek control over the shrine’s assets in Mashhad?

The Pahlavi government sought control over the shrine’s assets in Mashhad as part of a broader effort to consolidate state power and diminish the influence of the ulama (religious scholars).12

Under the Qajar dynasty, the administration of the shrine and its vast, profitable holdings was often tied to local provincial governance. The Pahlavi shahs moved to centralize this authority by appointing loyal aides to manage the complex, thereby securing control over its significant revenues and decision-making regarding pilgrimage, infrastructure, and religious education.1

This policy was part of a wider anticlerical agenda, which included the White Revolution, a modernization program that challenged the traditional bases of clerical power. By targeting charitable trusts (vaqf), which provided a substantial portion of the clergy's revenue, the state aimed to weaken the independence of religious institutions. These attempts to bring the shrine’s assets under state control became a major catalyst for clerical opposition, ultimately helping to lay the groundwork for the Islamic Revolution.1324