Eleven days in February: The Iranian Revolution

February 1, 1979: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Tehran from exile in Paris. Euphoric Iranians greeted him at the airport as he touched down. For years, he had criticized the shah and the political elite in Iran for suppressing dissidents, for westernizing the country and for their extravagant lifestyles.

Around four million Iranians took to the streets to catch a glimpse of Khomeini’s motorcade as it headed to the central cemetery where he held his arrival speech. For around a year mass demonstrations against the Shah had been taking place. Since August 1978, widespread work stoppages by the opposition had crippled the country’s economy.

On January 16, 1979, Shah Reza Pahlavi left the country. At the Guadeloupe conference, attended by the leaders of four Western powers - the US, UK, France and West Germany - the shah lost support. Instead, the West talked of seeking dialogue with Khomeini. US President Jimmy Carter offered the shah asylum in the US - an offer he accepted.

The shah had previously appointed Shapour Bakhtiar, a leading member of the opposition National Front, to the position of interim prime minister to appease his opponents, but without success. Bakhtiar was expelled from the party for being appointed by the shah. Other party members had agreed to work only with Khomeini.

Khomeini declared on his arrival in Tehran that he did not recognize Bakhtiar’s government. From the airport he drove straight to Tehran’s central cemetery where he gave a gutsy speech before thousands of enthusiastic on-lookers. He disputed the monarchy and the parliament, saying it weakened legitimacy. Khomeini said that he alone would select Iran’s new government.

In Tehran and in other cities across the country violent clashes between revolutionaries and the shah’s supporters broke out. The street fighting went on for days and it was unclear which side had the upper hand. The military imposed a curfew, but most Iranian’s ignored it.

On February 5, 1979, Khomeini named Mehdi Bazargan from the National Front as the country’s transitional prime minister. At first it looked like the clergy would cooperate with the liberal opposition. However, disagreements between the two quickly escalated. Bazargan resigned on November 5, 1979, in response to the US embassy hostage situation in Tehran.

After Bazargan’s re-appointment, large numbers of Iranians took to the streets in support of the transitional government. The military declared it would not interfere with the power struggle. Shapour Bakhtiar had lost all support. He had to flee his home when armed Khomeini supporters intruded. In April, 1979, he went into exile in France.

Standing at attention for religious leaders: An elite unit of the Iranian Air Force greeted Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The Homafar unit played a major role in the revolution victory because they had allowed the public access to their arsenal during the civil unrest. On February 9, the Imperial Guard made a last ditch effort to attack the Homafar base.

Fighting between the Imperial Guard and the people intensified. On February 11, 1979, the regime collapsed: Revolutionaries occupied parliament, the Senate, the television broadcaster and other state-run institutions. Shortly thereafter, the fall of the monarchy was announced. To this day, Iranians celebrate February 11 as the anniversary of the 'Islamic revolution.’