The Shah publicly supported President Sadat's Middle East peace
proposals. In a statement in Aswan he declared that Egypt is doing precisely what we
believe is right"
11 January:
Iran lifted its trade boycott on Italy and Denmark imposed two weeks ago
in reprisal for attacks on Iranian diplomatic missions in these countries.
30 January:
An official of the Ministry of Education who was sentenced to execution
by firing squad for selling Iranian secrets to the Soviet Union was granted a reprieve.
19 February:
Street battles lasting over 12 hours erupted unexpectedly in Tabriz;
six people were killed and 125 injured. The Govt the group responsible
21 February:
Government spokesmen said that the death toll of the rioting in Tabriz
had risen from six to nine; an underground opposition religious party claimed that more
than 100 rioters were killed in clashes with the police.
5 March:
The Shah stated in an interview that he was negotiating with the
Netherlands and West German Governments to buy frigates and submarines.
6 March:
The Iranian Ambassador and his staff were recalled from East Berlin because
of the refusal of the East German Government to prosecute Iranian students who raided the
Embassy and destroyed documents.
5 April:
It was reported in Tehran that a US firm had signed a contract to construct
a harbour at the Chah Bahar naval base in south-east Iran.
12 April:
The USSR and Iran signed an agreement in Tehran to build a 488-km section
of the 1,420 km long gas pipeline from Kangan to Astara. Approximately 17 billion cubic
metres of gas will be exported to the USSR when the pipeline is completed in 1980.
13 April:
The head of the country's Himalayan Federation announced that Iranian
mountaineers plan to climb Mount Everest from the Chinese side. The expedition would be a
joint one with China and the climb would take place in
9 May:
Serious rioting occurred in Qom and Tabriz.
10 May:
The Iranian Ministry of War signed an agreement with the British
Government-owned Millbank Technical Services for the construction in Isfahan of a
small-arms ammunition factory.
11 May:
Serious rioting spread to Tehran. Thousands of demonstrators, after being
harangued by religious leaders, marched through the bazaar area. Police threw tear gas and
fired over the heads of the crowd; about 100 civilians were reported to have been injured.
The Shah postponed a visit to Hungary and Bulgaria planned for May 12.
25 May:
An explosion occurred at a newly drilled well in the Maroun oilfield in
south-west Iran. The resultant fire was still out of control five days later, and was
being fought by Mr "Red" Adair's firefighting team from Texas.
4 July:
The Shah issued orders to ban members of the Royal Family from business
deals which would benefit them.
1 August:
Anti-Government demonstrations in 10 Iranian cities resulted in seven
deaths and the arrest of 115 people.
10 August:
In a press conference in Nowshahr, on the Caspian, the Shah stated that
his plan to restore free political activity, starting with elections in June 1979, was
irreversible, even if violence resulted. Iranian papers had reported anti-Government riots
in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz.
11 August:
Martial law was declared in the city of Isfahan after riots lasting all
day. The Information Ministry said four people had been killed and 66 injured. The riots
were led by orthodox Muslims protesting against the Government's liberalisation programme.
13 August:
Martial law was extended to the towns of Najafabad, Shareza and
Homayunshahr all in the province of Isfahan.
15 August:
The Shah announced an amnesty for 62 political detainees and 649 other
prisoners to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of Dr Mossadegh.
16 August:
Unrest spread to Tehran when the bazaar was closed by the
religious-dominated Shopkeepers Association. Troops were out in the streets suppressing
disorders. The Minister of Information, Mr Dariush Homayoun, told a press conference in
Tehran that the troubles were "extremely well planned", with rioters being moved
from city to city by private transport. He said that there was evidence that Palestinian
extremists were involved. Demands were being made for the rigid enforcement of Islamic law
with the closure of cinemas, bars and night clubs. The agitators opposed television and
the emancipation of women.
20 August:
A cinema in Abadan was set on fire during a film performance by four
incendiary bombs at the four Corners; 430 people were killed .
27 August:
The Shah dismissed the Government of Mr Jamshid Amouzegar and appointed
as Prime Minister Mr Jaafar Sharif-Emami. The move was prompted by the disorders in the
principal cities. Mr Sharif-Emami, who had been Prime Minister in 1960-61, was chosen
because of his reputation for personal integrity and because of his close links with
religious leaders. On his appointment he was charged by the Shah to give priority to
Islamic traditions. As a gesture in this direction it was announced that the new
"Imperial" calendar introduced in 1976 had been abandoned in favour of the
traditional Islamic lunar calendar. The new Government of 22 included only five former
ministers. A former head of the Gendarmerie, General Arteshbod Gharebaghi, became Minister
of the Interior; Mr Amir Khosrow Afshar, a career diplomat formerly Ambassador in London
replaced Mr Abbas Ali Khalatbari as Foreign Minister. (For full list see part 3).
28 August:
The new Prime Minister, in an attempt to calm the country after months of
rioting by Islamic extremists, announced that all casinos and gambling clubs would be
closed.
29 August:
Chairman Hua Kuo-feng arrived in Tehran for a four-day visit. He was
heavily guarded at the airport and on his way to the city. At a banquet in his honour he
praised the Shah's leadership, called for increased cooperation between the two countries
and condemned the "aggression and expansionism of the big powers." His only
reference to foreign policy was to the Chinese principle that the security of the Indian
Ocean and the Gulf should be the sole responsibility of the littoral states.
30 August:
Chairman Hua Kuo-feng and the Shah discussed security and political
developments in the Gulf and the situation in Afghanistan.
31 August:
Fighting between security forces and Islamic rioters in the city of
Mashhad caused two deaths. In Tehran a bank was set on fire.President Hua Kuo-feng had a
private talk with the Shah lasting an hour and 40 minutes. He also signed a cultural
agreement.
1 September:
Chairman Hua Kuo-feng left Iran to return to Peking. He cabled thanks
from his aircraft to the Shah for what he described as a "very fruitful" visit
but no joint communique was issued. Official sources in Tehran attributed this to a desire
on the Iranian side not to stir up the sensibilities of Moscow.
6 September:
A terrorist attack was made on a police station in Tehran; one
policeman was killed.
7 September:
A demonstration against the Shah in Tehran was estimated at 100,000
strong.
8 September:
Tehran and 11 other Iranian cities were placed under martial law.
Violent demonstrations in the capital caused 58 deaths according to official figures;
unofficial estimates ranged up to 250. The casualties resulted principally from troops
firing on the crowds; in addition over 100 cases of arson were reported in which banks,
cinemas, police stations, shops and other buildings were destroyed. The armed forces
commander, General Gholam Ali Oveissi, was appointed military Among opposition leaders are
the right-wing National Front and the leader of the Radical Maraghei.
10 September:
Troops fired on demonstrators defying a martial law ban on public
rocessions in the city of Qom. In Teheran nine members of Parliament walked out in protest
against the loss of life in the suppression of disturbances there. Prime Minister appealed
for a vote of confidence affirming his faith in the Constitution and in the principles of
Islam; he claimed the disturbances were caused by extremists abusing the measures of
liberalisation which the Shah had introduced in August.
11 September:
In the cities of Mashhad and Qom demonstrators were fired on by the
army, resulting in two and three deaths respectively.
16 September:
The Shah received a letter from the British Prime Minister, Mr
Callaghan, expressing his Government's sympathy over the recent violence and expressing
the hope that Iran's progress towards democracy would not be interrupted. When the text
was issued protests were made in Britain by two Labour MPs.
17 September:
An earthquake destroyed the city of Tabas in the province of
Khorassan. The first estimate of the number of people killed was I 1,000.The introduction
of martial law in 12 cities was approved by Parliament by a majority of 152 to 22; 18
opposition members walked out. The nightly curfew was cut by 90 minutes and a Government
spokesman said the situation was returning to normal.
18
September: Empress Farah visited the area around Tabas which had been
devastated by earthquake. The official estimates of deaths rose to between 15,000 md
18,000.
20 September:
The Shah visited Tabas and was received with acclamation by survivors
of the earthquake.
26 September:
The British Ambassador in Tehran, Sir Anthony Parsons, reaffirmed
British support for the Shah. Speaking at the British Day of the International Trade Fair
there he said that his Government had been heartened by the determination which the
Iranian Government had shown to maintain the country's stability, security and progress
along the paths mapped out by the Shah.
1 October:
Colonel Mortexa Zamanipoor, a police station commander, was assassinated
in Mashhad while taking his son to school.
2 October:
The Government declared an amnesty for all persons engaged in
"anti-state" activities. It included students abroad and exiles, including the
Shi'ite Moslem leader, Ayatollah Khomeini.
3 October:
The Government promised to meet in full the demands of striking bank,
telecommunications and oil-refinery workers.
6 October:
Opening the new session of Parliament, the Shah declared that progress
towards democracy would "certainly continue". He intended to extend the
liberalisation process further.
8 October:
Rioting broke out again in several towns. In Tebran the police clashed
with university students.
9 October:
Rioting in the cities of Amol and Babol on the Caspian sea coast was
suppressed at the cost of three lives.
11 October:
In Tehran journalists staged a lightning strike against military
censorship. Troops fired on students demonstrating outside the university; three were
reported killed.
13 October:
The Minister of State for Executive Affairs, Mr Manouchehr Azmoun,
announced that the Government had accepted the demands of striking journalists for the
lifting of censorship.
16 October:
Shops and businesses throughout the country were closed in mourning for
the rioters killed in Tehran in September.
17 October:
Rioting continued in the provinces while Tehran remained quiet.
19 October:
Ayatollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of the Shi'ite community and
the principal opponent of the Shah, said in an interview in Paris that he was prepared to
urge his followers to armed rebellion to establish an Islamic Republic. He discounted the
influence of Marxists in the current unrest.
22 October:
In riots in Hamadan and Bushehr at least six people were killed by
police fire.
23 October:
The Government announced that on October 26, the Shah's birthday, 1,451
prisoners would be released including 1,126 political detainees. The Minister of Justice,
Mr Mohammad Baheri, said that those released would be fully compensated for their
detention and would be entitled to return to their former jobs. A press interview given in
Paris by Ayatollah Khomeini was criticised by Iranian opposition leaders as likely to
cause a split. Particular objection was taken to the Ayatollah's demand for the abolition
of the monarchy.
24 October:
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lower House of the Majlis bitterly
criticised the British Foreign Secretary, Dr Owen, for supporting "alien and
antiIranian policies" in his recent statement of support for the Shah. The US Deputy
Defence Secretary, Mr Charles Duncan, arrived in Tehran for confidential talks on the
subject of a possible reduction in Iranian arms contracts with the US.
26 October:
The Shah's 59th birthday celebrations'were marred by street rioting in
Tehran and other cities.
27 October:
Five deaths and scores of injuries were reported in worsening
anti-Government violence in many areas. In Isfahan tanks and armoured cars were employed
against rioters.
29 October:
The Government dismissed or forcibly retired 34 senior officials of
Savak, the state security and intelligence organisation. Among them was the
second-in-command, Mr Parveez Sabeti. Young men set fire to a cinema in Tehran. Eight
persons were killed in clashes in 37 provincial towns.
30 October:
The Shah made two more changes in the Cabinet. Mr Hossein Najafi, the
Prosecutor-General, replaced Mr Mohammad Baheri as Minister of Justice and Mr Mustapha
Payedar, a senior official, replaced Mr Manouchehr Azmoun as Minister of State for
Executive Affairs. Mr Karim Sanjabi, leader of the opposition National Front Party,
conferred in Paris with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Shia religious leader. The
Ayatollah had told a French newspaper that he favoured the replacement of the Shah by an
Islamic Republic; Mr Sanjabi was believed to prefer a reformed monarchical system. No
statement was issued after the meeting. Workers at the Abadan refinery went on strike.
31 October:
Further wide-spread strikes halted completely the flow of oil. The
strikers, who demanded an end to martial law and the release of all political prisoners,
brought to a standstill oil wells, natural gas plants, the in Tehran. Troops opened fire
on students outside the university, vehicles were set on fire in the streets and banks and
Government buildings were attacked.
5 November:
Riotous mobs burned down large areas of Tehran. Banks, cinemas, night
clubs, hotels and liquor stores were particular targets. The British Embassy was set on
fire. The US Embassy was attacked but the rioters were beaten off by heavily-armed troops.
Elsewhere, although troops were present in force, they were reported to have allowed the
fire-raising to proceed. The Prime Minister, Mr Jaafar Sharif-Emami, offered his
resignation which was accepted.
6 November:
The Shah broadcast to the nation on radio and television to announce
that, having been unable to form a civilian coalition government, he had appointed a
military one. It was headed by General Gholam Reza Azhari, Chief of Staff of the Armed
Forces since 1971. Other military figures included in the Government were General Gholam
Ali Oveissi, Military Governor of Tehran (Labour and Social Affairs), General Iraj
Moghaddam, head of the Security Police (Energy), General Arteshbod Gharebaghi (Interior),
General Abdol Hassan Sa'adatmand (Information and Tourism) and General Reza Amini (War).
Three former civilian ministers were retained: Amir Khosrow Afshar (Foreign Affairs), Mr
Reza Amin (Industry) and Mr Karim Motamedi (Posts and Telecommunications). In a later
broadcast General Azhari called on religious leaders to cooperate with him to restore
order and security and to combat corruption. In Paris Ayatollah Khomeini, the exiled
religious leader, declared that the only solution was the abdication of the Shah and the
establishment of an Islamic republic. He called on the army to disobey orders to confront
the rioters.
7 November:
The military Government ordered the arrest of 32 former Ministers and
officials on charges of corruption and oppression.
8 November:
The military authorities arrested Mr Amir Abbas Hoveyda who was Prime
Minister for most of the preceding 13 years and was regarded as being very close to the
Shah. An official announcement said that he was being held under a martial law regulation
which provided for the indefinite arrest without trial of any suspect.
9 November:
Shia Muslim religious leaders rejected the military Government's
invitation to collaborate and urged the faithful to continue struggling against tyranny
and injustice. The Prime Minister announced that a commission had been set up to
investigate the financial affairs of the Shah's family.
11 November:
Dr Karim Sanjabi, leader of the opposition National Front, a coalition
of five parties, was arrested in Tehran.
12 November:
General Boghrat Jaffarian, the Governor of the province of Khuzestan in
which most of the oil industry is concentrated, warned oil workers to abandon their strike
under threat of dismissal.
13 November:
The Iranian news agency said that although the majority of the oil
workers were still on strike production had risen to 27 million barrels per day.
14 November:
Troops opened fire on rioters in the bazaar quarter of Tehran. In the
oil producing areas some workers returned to work and production recovered. Refinery
output was normal.
16 November:
General Gholam Reza Azhari appointed eight more civilians to his
Cabinet, thereby producing a civilian majority. A spokesman for the state oil company NIOC
reported a continued slow progress in returning the irdustry to normality.
22
November: The Government of General Azhari was given a vote of confidence
in Parliament by 191 to 27 with six abstentions. The majority was larger than expected.
24 November:
Troops in Shiraz were reported to have killed 15 persons in suppressing
anti-monarchist riots.
26 November:
Severe rioting was reported at Gorgan on the A document published by
striking employees of the Central Bank purported to show that in the two months ending in
mid-October about $2,500 million had been sent out of the country by people in high
positions, including politicians, members of the royal family and generals.
28 November:
General Gholam Reza Azhari announced in a broadcast that all
processions would be banned in the Shi'ite mourning month of Moharram, starting on
December 3. At the same time he promised that his Government planned to abrogate all laws
that did not conform to Islamic principles and that future laws would be drafted
"with the guidance of the great ayatollahs" (the senior Muslim clergy).
1 December:
Large numbers of Muslims, defying both the curfew and the ban on public
demonstrations during Muharram, were out on the streets in Tehran. Troops opened fire and
dispersed the crowds; no figures for casualties were reported.
2 December:
There were further violent scenes in Tehran but casualties were reported
to be fewer than on the previous night.
3 December:
Violent rioting continued in Tehran for the third night running. An
official announcement put casualties on the first two days at 12 killed and 55 wounded;
the figure being put about by the opposition was 1,000 killed.
5
December: In a strongly-worded statement, the Ministry of Information
denied reports that the Shah intended to abdicate and hand over power to a Regency Council
acting for his son.
6 December:
Dr Karim Sanjabi, opposition leader of the National Front Party, was
released from detention and the Government promised to release a further 452 prisoners.
Ayatollah Khomeini, the exiled leader of the Shi'ite Muslims, declared in a press
interview in Neauphle-le-Chateau near Paris that he would not be bound by restrictions
which the French Government attempted to impose on him; there were other places where he
could go and continue his work.
7 December:
Large numbers of foreigners crowded the airport at Tehran in an attempt
to leave. The numbers who had left over the past ten weeks were estimated at 8,000
including 5,500 Americans.
10 December:
A demonstration whose numbers were estimated by foreign press observers
at a million was mounted in Tehran. Slogans called for an Islamic constitution and an end
to dictatorship; there were also anti-American slogans. Similar demonstrations in
comparable numbers were mounted in Mashhad, Tabriz, Isfahan and other cities. The army was
under orders not to intervene.
11 December:
A further demonstration, estimated at the same size as on the previous
day, took place in Tehran. In Isfahan crowds attacked the headquarters of Savak, the
secret police, and five people were killed by troops' fire; all the cinemas in the city
were reported to have been burned down.
12 December:
Further violence in Isfahan resulted in an estimated 10 deaths; liquor
stores, restaurants, hotels, the town hall and five banks were attacked and seriously
damaged.
14 December:
Ayatollah Khomeini, the religious leader, issued a statement from his
French exile rejecting proposals for the formation of a Regency Council to rule until the
elections of June 1979. The Prime Minister, General Azhari, said in a broadcast that all
demonstrations were banned whether against or in favour of the Shah. He also threatened
severe measures against strikers.
18 December:
It was reported from Tabriz that an army unit was recalled to barracks
after some troops refused to obey orders. This was the first instance reported of
insubordination in the army.
19 December:
Oil production, which had continued to rise over the past week, reached
3,400,000 barrels per day, compared with a normal 5,800,000. The Shah was reported to be
considering the appointment of a civilian coalition government.
21 December:
The Majlis (Parliament) was adjourned until January 14.
23 December:
An American and two Iranians were shot and killed in Ahwaz. The
American, Mr Paul Grimms, was deputy head of the Oil Service Corporation of Iran.
25 December:
Dr Gholam Hussein Sadighi, who had been charged by the Shah with
examining the possibilities of forming a civilian government, asked for more time. To
facilitate his task he reportedly obtained concessions from the Shah over the lifting of
press censorship and legal action against former Ministers accused of corruption.
26 December:
Oil output was reported to be reduced to 500,000 barrels a day, about a
tenth of normal and insufficient to meet domestic demand. There were violent clashes on
the streets of Tehran, in particular between troops and students.
27 December:
The Government imposed rationing of petrol and paraffin. Iran Air was
grounded by a strike declared as total and indefinite; Pan American Airlines suspended
flights to Tehran.
29 December:
Dr Gholam Hussein Sadighi announced that he had failed to form a
government. The Shah asked Mr Shahpur Bakhtiar to attempt the task.
30 December:
British, American and other foreign-owned buildings were attacked by
crowds in four provincial capitals. In Ahwaz, Shiraz and Mashhad offices of the British
Council were attacked, and in Tabriz the American Consulate; the Turkish Consulate General
in Tabriz was totally destroyed by fire. The Shah's 92-year old mother was flown to San
Francisco for medical treatment. General Gholam Reza Azhari tendered his resignation as
Prime Minister in order to make way for a political solution. Dr Shahpur Bakhtiar, the
Prime Minister designate, said in an interview with French television that the Shah would
leave Iran "on holiday" a month after the new government took office and would
nominate a council to exercise power in his absence. He would not abdicate nor give up the
command of the armed forces but he would probably be absent for "at least eighteen
months."
The Shah made his first public appearance for two months when he received
the world press at his Tehran palace. He gave interviews in company with the Empress and
they were filmed for television. In reply to questions he said he would very much like to
take a holiday if the situation permitted. Western embassies advised foreigners to leave;
but flights were disrupted by a strike of air-traffic controllers.
3 January:
Dr Shahpur Bakhtiar's nomination as Prime Minister was accepted by both
Houses of Parliament. In a press conference afterwards he referred to the Shah's decision
to leave the country as irrevocable and said that he would be glad, and honoured, if
Ayatollah Khomeini would return from exile. Buckingham Palace announced the cancellation
of a three-day visit to Iran by the Queen planned for February.
6 January:
Dr Shahpur Bakhtiar announced the composition of his new Cabinet, which
consisted mainly of technocrats. A career diplomat. Mr Ahmed Mirfendereski, became Foreign
Minister, Mr Rostam Pirasteh, a Managing Director of the International Bank of Iran,
Minister of Finance and General Feridun Djam, a former Chief of Staff, Minister of War. As
Minister of Industry and Mines Dr Bakhtiar announced the appointment of Mr Abbas Qoli
Bakhtiar, a distant relation regarded as one of the country's most talented chemical
engineers.
9 January:
The Shah issued a decree that members of the royal family should turn
over all their personal property to the Pahlavi Foundation for the use of religious,
educational, social and welfare organisations.
10 January:
The Shah appointed General Abdol Ali Badrei as commander of the armed
forces in replacement of General Oveissi who resigned and left the country. US sources
said that 30,000 US citizens had left Iran during the past two months. About 12,000
remained.
11 January:
In Shiraz, where martial law had been lifted by the Bakhtiar Government,
crowds attacked the US Consulate and burned down the Savak building; eight deaths were
reported.
14 January:
The British Government demanded £250,000 in compensation for the damage
done to the Embassy in Tehran which was set on fire on November 5. The Iranian Government
agreed in principle.
The Ayatollah Khomeini announced from his exile near Paris that he had established what
he called a Provisional Revolutionary Islamic Council whose function would be to oversee
elections to a constituent assembly. The names were not disclosed.
15 January:
Dr Bakhtiar's Government received the support of the Senate by 38 votes
to 1.
16 January:
The Shah left Tehran by air with the Empress Farah, ostensibly for a
rest abroad. He was taken by helicopter from the palace to the airport and embarked at
12.15 p.m. on an aircraft of the royal flight for Aswan, Egypt, taking the controls
himself. The Prime Minister, Dr Bakhtiar, court officials and senior army officers saw him
off. On arrival in A swan he was greeted by President Sadat with full ceremonial. In a
parting message he said that he needed a rest and felt he could leave now that the new
Government had been confirmed by Parliament. The length of his absence would depend on the
state of his health. Earlier, the lower House of the Majlis had endorsed Dr Bakhtiar's
Government by 142 votes to 43 with 15 abstentions. When the news of the Shah's departure
became generally known large crowds appeared on the streets to celebrate. Statues of the
Shah and his father were pulled down. Many of the crowds waved photographs of the
Ayatollah Khomeini. The Ayatollah announced from his French exile that his next aim was to
overthrow the new Government and the Regency Council. He said
he would shortly set up a provisional government to organise elections for the
ratification of a new Islamic and republican constitution.
18 January:
The Prime Minister warned Ayatollah Khomeini that if he tried to seize
power a coup d'etat by the army would result. In Paris the Ayatollah refused to see the
head of the Regency Council, Mr Sayed Jalaleddin Tehrani; he said he would only grant him
an audience if he had come to submit his resignation.
19 January:
In Tehran a demonstration estimated at a million strong marched through
the streets to demand an Islamic Republic.
20 January:
The Ayatollah Khomeini announced in NeauphleIc-Château, near Paris,
where he had lived since October 1978, that he would return to Tehran in time for prayers
on Friday January 26.
22 January:
Dr Sayed Jalaleddin Tehrani, the head of the Regency Council announced
in Paris that he had resigned from his post. He informed Ayatollah Khomeini of this in a
letter and asked for an interview. The Ayatollah replied with a demand that he should
declare publicly that he considered the Council to be illegal. Complying with this, he
read out a brief letter to this effect to the Ayatollah and his entourage at
Neauphle-le-Cháteau; he was granted a ten-minute interview.
The Shah left Egypt for Morocco.
24 January:
The Prime Minister was reported to have sent a letter to the Ayatollah
Khomeini by the hand of a personal messenger in which he offered the prospect of a
constitutional assembly on condition that the Ayatollah delayed his return to Tehran by
three weeks. Meanwhile troops with tanks and armoured cars closed the airport to prevent
an Iran Air airliner from flying to Paris to pick him up; vital parts of the engines of
several aircraft were also removed to prevent them from taking off. The Shah, speaking in
Marrakesh, said his intention was to stay in Morocco and not to go to the US.
25 January:
While the airport of Tehran was kept closed to prevent the return of the
Ayatollah Khomeini, a large demonstration in favour of the Bakhtiar Government marched
through the streets to the Majlis. Pro-Government demonstrations were also held in other
cities without provoking clashes.
27 January:
The Prime Minister announced in a nation-wide broadcast, that he would
fly to Paris for talks with the Ayatollah Khomeini. The Ayatollah announced that he had
postponed his return to Tehran.
28 January:
Contradicting a statement put out by two members of his staff, the
Ayatollah Khomeini declared in vigorous terms that he would not receive the Prime Minister
unless he first resigned his office. The news caused further violent demonstrations in the
streets of Tehran. Troops opened fire when attacked by crowds as they were protecting a
police headquarters; over 30 people were reported killed and about 160 injured.
1 February:
The Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Tebran by air. He was met by large
crowds who also lined the route to the Behesh Zahra cemetery where he went to honour those
who died in the anti-Government riots. In a vigorous speech at the cemetery he attacked
both Parliament and the Bakhtiar Government as illegal; he also criticised the United
States and appealed to the army to join the revolutionary cause.
2 February:
Dr flak htiar offered to discuss with Ayatollah Khomeini the fonnatlo.
of a government of national unity.
3 February:
The Mayor of Tehran, Mr Javad Shahrestani, sent a letter of resignation
to Ayatollah Khomeini who replied immediately saying that he reappointed him as mayor.
4 February:
Ayatollah Khomeini announced that he would declare a holy war if all
.attempts at a peaceful settlement failed. The Prime Minister, Dr Bakhtiar, in a radio
interview said that he did not believe in a holy war of Moslem against Moslem but that if
violence broke out he would answer a bullet with a bullet. Prime Minister, had succeeded
in escaping abroad; steps would be taken for his extradition,
27 February:
Mr Hani al-Hassan, the new Ambassador for the Palestine Liberation
Organisation in Tehran, said that the new leadership, and especially the Ayatollah
Khomeini, had made the liberation of Jerusalem one of its foremost religious and moral
commitments. He said that he expected an uprising in Turkey similar to what had happened
in Iran.
28 February:
The Ayatollah Khomeini declared in what was styled a farewell speech in
Tehran that he was about to retire to the holy city of Qom. He said that a referendumon
the proposal for an Islamic republic would be held between March 21 and 24.
1 March:
The Ayatollah Khomeini was welcomed back to his native city of Qom by a
crowd estimated at a million strong. In a speech at the Theological Seminary he denounced
the idea of democracy in Iran and demanded a pure Islamic state.
5 March:
Four generals, two colonels and a civilian were executed by firing squads
in Tehran after a secret trial by a Revolutionary Tribunal. Oil exports were resumed, the
day chosen being the 12th anniversary of the death of Prime Minister Mossadeq who
nationalised the oil industry in 1951. The first oil was loaded on a
Liberian-registered tanker chartered by the Japanese Mitsui company.
7 March:
The Ayatollah Khomeinistrongly attacked Mr Bazargan, whom he
nominated as Prime Minister, in a speech to the Qom theological college. He condemned the
idea of a democratic republic because it would be influenced by Western ideas.
9 March:
Ayatollah Khomeini in a Friday sermon in Qom called Mr Mehdi Bazargan a
weak Prime Minister. He also made a violent attack on women. Mr Bazargan drove to Qom with
six of his ministers and offered his resignation, he withdrew it after the Ayatollah had
undertaken to make an effort to ensure that the Government had greater control over the
revolutionary committees. Two more senior army officers and a member of the secret police
were executed by firing squad in Tehran after appearing before a Revolutionary Tribunal.
13 March:
The Government formally notified Britain, France and the US that it was
withdrawing from the Central Treaty Organisatlois. This left Turkey as the only surviving
Asian member. Another 12 persons were executed by firing squad after appearing before an
Islamic Revolutionary Tribunal. Among them were two civil servants of the state-owned
radio and television network, condemned to death for "intellectualising the Shah's
régime".
14 March:
Despite entreaties by the Bazargan Government, Islamic Revolutionary
Tribunals continued to order executions. Five people including a general were shot. Mr
Mehdi Bazargan, in a national television and radio broadcast, complained of a lack of
cooperation and a lack of realism that could destroy the revolution.
15 March:
The former Prime Minister, Amir Abbas Hoveyda. was brought before an
Islamic Revolutionary Tribunal in the early hours of the morning. He was accused of
corruption and war against God. The proceedings were adjourned after four hours in
consequence of a threat by the Prime Minister, Mr Bazargan, that he would resign finally
if the executions carried out by orders of the tribunals were not stopped. Two Americans,
Mr Ralph Schoenman and Miss Kate Millett, the feminist leader, were deported for
activities against the Iranian revolution.
16 March:
The Ayatollah Khomeini issued an order from his headquarters in the Qom
theological seminary suspending all trials before the Central Revolutionary Court in
Tehran; provincial Revolutionary Courts would be allowed to hold trials but the verdicts
would be suspended. In the preceding five weeks 65 people had been executed after
appearing before Revolutionary Tribunals, 49 for political and 16 for sexual offences. The
ostensible reason given for the suspension was that there was now no urgency in carrying
out sentences.
19 March:
A brief cease-fire was arranged in the town of Sanandaj but it was soon
broken and the Kurdish "quite limited" strength. He also announced a ban on
imports of cars, alcoholic drinks, pork and certain luxury items. general amnesty now that
over 200 people had been executed by Revolutionary Tribunals since it would enable his
Government to deal with pressing economic problems
22 April:
Fighting between representatives of the Kurdishspeaking and
Turkish-speaking minorities broke out in Naghadeh near the frontier with Iraq and Turkey.
About seventy people were reported killed. It was announced in Tehran that Dr Ebrahim
Yazdi had been appointed Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs in replacement of Dr Karim
Sanjabi.
30 April:
It was announced that on orders from Ayatollah Khomeini diplomatic
relations with Egypt had been broken off.
6 May:
Ayatollah Khomeini announced the formation of a special force of Islamic Revolutionary
Guards that would have wide powers to support liberation movements and spread Iran's
Islamic Revolution throughout the world.
8May:
Twenty-one men were executed by firing squad in Tehran after appearing before
an Islamic Revolutionary Tribunal, the largest single batch in one day. They included a
general, two ministers and a former Speaker of the lower house of the Majlis. They were
all accused of warring against God and insulting the Imam, a title being increasingly used
for Ayatollah Khomeini.
13 May:
Ayatollah Sadeg Khalkhali, the head of the Central Revolutionary Court,
announced that the Shah and some others of his supporters outside the country had been
sentenced to death by the Iranian nation and that anyone who killed them could not
be arrested by a foreign government because he would be "carrying out the orders of
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Court". Other names on the list included the Empress
Farah, the Shah's brother Gholam Reza, his mother-in-law Farideh Diba, the former
Ambassador in Washington, Ardeshir Zahedi, and three former Prime Ministers, Shahpur
Bakhtiar, Gholam Reza Azhari and Jaafar SharifEmami.
23 May:
Dr Mehdi Bazargan said he was in favour of a general amnesty now that over
200 people had been executed by revolutionary Tribunals since it would enable his
government to deal with pressing economic problems.
30 May:
Heavyfighting broke out in Khorramshahr, the country's principal
port, between Arabs who form the majority of the population of the town and the
revolutionary militia assisted by naval and airforce units. A part of the dock
installations was destroyed and about 80 people were reported killed. The Governor of
Khuzestan province, Rear Admiral Ahmad Madani, ordered a curfew. The Situation was
regarded as particularly dangerous since the Arabs, the largest ethnic group in Khuzestan,
provide the bulk of the workers in the oil industry.
2 June:
In Ahvaz, Tabriz and Masjid-e-Suleiman three Generals and nine other former
officers were executed by firing squad. Three officers were shot in Qom.
5 June:
Iraqi aircraft attacked four Iranian villages with napalm and rockets near
the border town of Sardasht. It was presumed that the reason for the attack was to punish
Iranian Kurds for support of the revolt of their fellow tribesmen in Iraq.
12 June:
AyatoHah Khomeini warned the Soviet Ambassador in Tehran against
interference by his Government in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.
17 June:
Ayatollah Khomeini declared in a radio broadcast that those Iranians who
were calling for a Constituent Assembly to debate the proposed new constitution were
involved in a deep conspiracy against the Revolution.
18 June:
Thedraft constitution proposed for the Islamic Republic of Iran was
officially published. Under it the President would have virtually unlimited powers. The
Shi'ite clergy would be given a dominating position. The draft was declared by Ayatollah
Khomeini to be unsuitable for submission to popular debate in a Constituent Assembly; it
would instead be approved by a referendum.
26 June:
Tehran Radio announced that renewed unrest in Kurdistan had caused 10
deaths. A mass meeting of Kurds in the town of Saqqez protested against the new draft
constitution for an Islamic Republic.
10 July:
The cancellation by Ayatollah K homeini of a Government order dismissing
General Rahimi of the Military Police was accepted by the Minister of Defence, General
Taqi Riahi who declared that he did so because the position of the Ayatollah was above
that of himself and of the Government. The Minister of Economics, Mr All Ardalan,
announced that the National Iranian Oil Company had dropped compulsory invoicing in
dollars and would accept other hard currencies.
12 July:
Three women accused of organising prostitution were executed in Tehran, the
first women logo before a firing squad. Attacks by Arab dissidents in the province of K
huzestan continued and demonstrations demanding autonomy were held in Khorramshahr, in
some of the latter the Arab-speaking autonomists were flanked by delegations from the
Kurdish movement for autonomy.
15 July:
Ten people were killed and over 50 injured in fighting between Arabs and
Iranians in Khorramshahr. Three Arabs were executed for exploding a bomb in a mosque,
killing six and injuring 60. The Governor of Khorramshahr resigned.
16 July:
The Minister of Defence, General Taqi Riahi, submitted his resignation as a
result of his having been over-ruled by Ayatollah Khomeini in the matter of the dismissal
of General Rahimi, Encouraged by this General Rahimi offered to take over the supreme
command against rebels in Kurdestan and Khuzestan.
19 July:
The Ayatollah Khomeini reversed a previous decision and dismissed the
Commander of the Military Police, Brig.-General Saif Amir Rahimi.
31 July:
DrShahpur Bakhtiar, the last Prime Minister before the Islamic
Revolution, emerged from six months in hiding to give a press conference in Paris. He said
that there was now no government in the country, only a chaotic conflict of feudatories.
He regarded himself as still the legitimate head of government although he spoke
sympathetically of Mr Bazargan who was powerless to influence events.
13 August:
Moslem militants numbering tens of thousands took to the streets in
Tehran and sacked the headquarters of the (Marxist) Fedayeen and of the Socialist Workers
Party (Trotskyist) and, at the University, the library and the school of Law. They
attacked with less success the headquarters of the (Moscow Communist) Tudeh Party. It was
a counter-protest against the demonstration on the preceding day in favour of greater
freedom for the press.
14 August:
The former Prime Minister. Dr Sbahpur Bakhtiar, gave an interview
in Paris in which he forecast the downfall of the Khomeini régime.
16 August:
Kurdish rebels were reported to have seized control of the city of Paveh
after a two-day battle with Islamic revolutionary guards.
18 August:
Government forces recaptured the town of Paveh from Kurdish rebels.
19 August:
The Ayatollah Khomeini declared himself to be commander-in-chief of
the armed forces and ordered troops to Kurdistan to crush the revolt. He banned
all Kurdish political organisations including the Kurdish Democratic Party which he held
responsible for the attack on Paveh.
2 September:
According to an armed forces communiqué, Government troops began the
battle for Mahabad, the principal town in the area occupied by Kurdish rebels. The
Government officially warned Iraq against supporting the Kurds. Mr Mehdi Bazargan, in a
passionate speech on television, appealed to Ayatollah Khomeini to come to Tehran and take
responsibility upon himself; for his part he was ready and anxious to resign. Khomeini
said that the US diplomats held as hostages would be put on trial for espionage unless the
US sent the Shah back to Iran.
3 September:
After seven hours of sustained air bombardment Government forces
entered the Kurdish town of Mahabad. Kurdish leaders said that over 600 people had been
killed in three weeks of fighting.
6 September:
Government troops captured Sardasht, 60 miles from the Iraqi frontier,
described as the Kurdish rebels' last stronghold. Operations against the Kurdish rebels
continued. The well known Ayatollah Khalqali, the régime's travelling judge, arrived in
Mahabad to order and carry out summary executkms.
10 October:
Kurdish rebels killed at least 13 Government troops, according to
official sources in the Gendarmerie; they also revealed that in a previous attack on
Sardasht over 60 Revolutionary Guards had been killed.
18 October:
Ayatollah Khomeini ordered the suspension of t~eeutious until further
notice; over 600 people had been executed since the Revolution.
21 October:
The new Oil Minister, Mr Au Akbar Moinfar, said that the export of crude
oil would be reduced in order to increase the output of refined oil byproducts. He did not
give a figure or a date for the reduction.
22 October:
After a brief truce fighting between Kurds and Government forces began
again in Mahabad.
24 October:
Government troops ceased hostilities against Kurdish insurgents in
Mahabad and lifted the blockade of the town.
25 October:
Ayatollah Khomeini said to a crowd in Qom that he prayed to God that the
Shah really had cancer. Earlier a newspaper supporting the Ayatollah suggested that the
illness was a pretext for allowing the Shah to go to the United States in pursuit of a
political game.
28 October
: Kurdish troops and Islamic Revolutionary Guards fought an action in the
town of Bukan. In Mahabad the Kurds controlled all Government buildings and set up a
Revolutionary Court to try supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini.
2 November:
A Government mission arrived in Mahabad, the principal town in
Kurdistan. The leader, Mr Hashem Sabagh an, Minister of the Interior, announced
willingness to negotiate some form of autonomy for the Kurds with the leader of the
Kurdish Democratic Party, Mr Abdurrahman Qassemlou.
4 November:
Students estimated to number between 4.00 and 450 stormed the US
Embassy in Tehran and seized about 100 members of the staff as hostages. They demanded the
return to Iran of the ex-Shah, currently under treatment for cancer in a New York
hospital. A spokesman for Ayatollah Khomeini said that he approved of the students'
action.
5
November: The Government denounced the 1959 treaty of friendship with the
US and two articles of the 1921 treaty with the Soviet Union. Students and
Revolutionary Guards entered and occupied the British Embassy in Tehran for six hours,
demanding the extradition from Britain of ex-Prime Minister Bakhtiar. The authorities
finally persuaded the students to leave after explaining that Mr Bakhtiar was resident in
France. The British Government protested strongly to the Iranian Embassy in London.
6 November:
The Prime Minister, Dr Mebdi Bazargan, resigned office saying
that he could not govern because of interference from others. Accepting the resignation
Ayatollah Khomeini indicated that the responsibility for government now lay with the
Islamic Revolutionary Council.
12 November:
The offical news agency reported that attacks had been launched by
Kurdish insurgents against the towns of Sanandaj, Javanrud, Nousud and Saqqez.
18 November:
In a statement toThe Times the Ayatollah Khomeini said
that the US diplomats held as hostageswould be put on trial for espionage unless the US
sent the Shah back to Iran.
19 November:
Three of the hostages in the US Embassy, a young woman and two black
Marines, were released and flown to Copenhagen. A further ten, four women and six black
Marines, were put on show before reporters with the promise that they would be the next to
be released.
20 November:
Ten more hostages were released and flown to West Germany. Ayatollah
Khomeini declared that the remaining 49 would be tried as spies.
26 November:
Ayatollah Khomeini called on the Revolutionary Guards to raise an army
of 20 million to confront the US if it should invade Iran.In a radio broadcast addressed
to the Revolutionary Guards Ayatollah Khomeini proclaimed a Holy War to be waged on the
religious, financial and military fronts.
28 November:
The Revolutionary Council nominated Mr Sadegh Ghodbzadeh as Acting
Foreign Minister in replacement of Mr Aboihassan Bani Sadr, Mr Ghodbzadeh remained as head
of the television and radio service and Mr Bani Sadr as Minister for Finance and for the
Economy.
29 November:
The students occupying the US Embassy in Tehran said that they would
put the hostages on trial for espionage sooner than planned if the Shah left the US for
any destination other than Iran.
1 December:
In Iranshahr in the province of Baluchistan a crowd stormed the
Governor's palace and held him as hostage. Ballot boxes and voting papers for the
referendum were burned.
2 December:
Voting took place in a referendum to accept the new constitution giving
Ayatollah Khomeini the status of a supreme autocrat. As polling appeared light the
stations were kept open all night instead of
closing at 6 pm. In the minority areas inhabited by Kurds, Azarbaijanis, Arabs, Turkoman
and Baluchis there was an almost total boycott and violence broke out in the northern city
of Tabriz.
3 December:
The Kurdish Democratic Party released the text of a document which they
had handed to the government negotiator Mr Daryush Forahar with the details of their
claims to autonomy. These included an enlarged Kurdish province, a freely-elected Kurdish
Assembly and a guarantee of autonomy to be written into the new Iranian constitution. The
Foreign Minister, Mr Sadegh Ghodbzadeh, warned Iraq that the country was coming to the end
of its patience and described Iraqi actions as reminiscent of American imperialism.
4 December:
The Foreign Minister, in an interview released by the official news
agency, said that the US diplomats being held hostage would definitely be tried on
espionage charges and judged by their student captors.
5
December: Crowds attacked the home of Ayatollah Kazem Shariat-Madari in Qom
for expressing reservations about the new constitution; a Revolutionary Guard was killed.
The opposition of Mr Shariat-Madari, a clerical leader of the Azarbaijanis, had produced
abstentions in the referendum in Azarbaijan and unrest in Tabriz. The state oil concern
NIOC invited its clients to Tehran to renew oil delivery contracts for 1980 and regularise
their oil business. Those invited included 13 Japanese oil companies and the two British,
Shell and BP, but no American companies.
6 December:
Opponents of Ayatollah Khomeini took over the radio and television
station of the province of east Azarbaijan and said they would no longer accept the
authority of govermnent officials appointed by Tehran. Radio Tabriz announced that the
successor to the Governor would be appointed by Ayatollah Shariat-Madari; it also called
for the withdrawal from the province of all non-Azarbaijani Revolutionary Guards.
7 December:
Mr Rahmatollah Moghadam was appointed Governor of the province of east
Azarbaijan by the Islamic Revolutionary Council. A native of Tabriz himself, he was one of
the leaders of the Radical Party, a small Azarbaijani party.
9 December:
Fighting continued in Tabriz for the control of the radio and television
studios which had been recaptured by pro-Khomeini forces from the Azarbaijani insurgents.
Five people were reported killed and 26 wounded.
10 December:
Ayatollah Kazem Shariat-Madari issued a statement accusing
Ayatollah Khomeini of triggering the fighting in Azarbaijan and of moving towards a
dictatorship. In a leaflet he said that he would not attempt to restrain his supporters
who were contesting the control of Tabriz with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards. A
three-man delegation from the IslamicRevolutionary Council headed by the Minister
ofFinance, Mr Bani Sadr, was sent to Tabriz tocompose differences between the followers of
theAyatollahs Khomeini and Shariat-Madari.
11 December:
Mr Sadegh Ghodbzadeh, the Foreign Minister, said that it was the
government's intention to set up what he called an international grand jury to expose
American crimes against Iran since 1953.
16 December:
Ayatollah Shariat-Madari condemned the new constitution because it gave
dictatorial powers to Ayatollah Khomeini.
18 December:
Ayatollah Muhammad Mofateh, one of Ayatollah Khomeini's closest
advisers, was assassinated by three men who attacked him with machine pistols outside the
theological college in central Tehran where he was director. The organisation suspected
was FORGHAN which describes itself as a Moslem fundamentalist body; its numerous victims
to date had included another Ayatollah, Morteza Mutazaheri.
20 December:
Tehran Radio reported that two people had been killed and 36 injured in
riots at Zahedan, the capital of Iranian Baluchistan. The disturbances were said to have
been provoked by a speech from Dr Ibrahim Yazdi, sent as a special envoy of Ayatollah
Khomeini to pacify the Baluchis who were joining the Kurds, Arabs and Azarbaijanis in
demanding autonomy.
21 December:
Five more people were killed in street fIghting in Zahedan between
Baluches and Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Later it was announced that a truce had been
agreed between the Baluchi leader, Sheikh Movlavi Abdulaziz, and Mr Ibrahim Yazdi, the
former foreign Minister. In Kurdistan the Kurdish spiritual leader, Sheikh Ezzedin
Husseini, said that the Kurdish delegation to the talks on autonomy had unanimously
rejected the Central government's proposals.
23 December:
The Central Bank authorities were reported to have decided to
transfer about half its British assets, estimated at £2,000 million, to banks in France,
Algeria and Libya. The assets being moved would include about £250 million
deposited with London branches of Japanese banks.
28 December:
After a meeting of the revolutionary Council a strongly-worded note was
sent to the Soviet Union protesting against its intervention in Afghanistan which was
called an act of aggression against all Moslem nations.
