|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
IRAN; Chronology of Revolution: 1978.
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"
Iran lifted its trade boycott on Italy and Denmark imposed two weeks ago in reprisal for atiacks on Iranian diplomatic missions in these countries.
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.
Street battles lasting over 12 hours erupted unexpectedly in Tabriz; six people were killed and 125 injured. The Govt the group responsible
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.
The Shah stated in an interview that he was negotiating with the Netherlands and West German Governments to buy frigates and submarines.
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.
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.
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.
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
Serious rioting occurred in Qom and Tabriz.
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.
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.
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.
The Shah issued orders to ban members of the Royal Family from business deals which would benefit them.
Anti-Government demonstrations in 10 Iranian cities resulted in seven deaths and the arrest of 115 people.
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.
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.
Martial law was extended to the towns of Najafabad, Shareza and Homayunshahr all in the province of Isfahan.
The Shah announced an amnesty for 62 political detainees and 649 other prisoners to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of Dr Mossadegh.
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.
A cinema in Abadan was set on fire during a film performance by four incendiary bombs at the four Corners; 430 people were killed .
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).
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.
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.
Chairman Hua Kuo-feng and the Shah discussed security and political developments in the Gulf and the situation in Afghanistan.
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.
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.
A terrorist attack was made on a police station in Tehran; one policeman was killed.
A demonstration against the Shah in Tehran was estimated at 100,000 strong.
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 militar Among opposition leaders are the right-wing National Front and the leader of the Radical Maraghei.
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.
In the cities of Mashhad and Qom demonstrators were fired on by the army, resulting in two and three deaths respectively.
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.
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.
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.
The Shah visited Tabas and was received with acclamation by survivors of the earthquake.
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.
Colonel Mortexa Zamanipoor, a police station commander, was assassinated in Mashhad while taking his son to school.
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.
The Government promised to meet in full the demands of striking bank, telecommunications and oil-refinery workers.
Opening the new session of Parliament, the Shah declared that progress towards democracy would "certainly continue". He intended to extend the liberalisation process further.
Rioting broke out again in several towns. In Tebran the police clashed with university students.
Rioting in the cities of Amol and Babol on the Caspian sea coast was suppressed at the cost of three lives.
In Tehran journalists staged a lightning strike against military censorship. Troops fired on students demonstrating outside the university; three were reported killed.
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.
Shops and businesses throughout the country were
closed in mourning for the rioters killed in Tehran in September.
Rioting continued in the provinces while Tehran remained quiet.
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.
In riots in Hamadan and Bushehr at least six people were killed by police fire.
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.
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.
The Shah’s 59th birthday celebrations’were marred by street rioting in Tehran and other cities.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The military Government ordered the arrest of 32 former Ministers and officials on charges of corruption and oppression.
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.
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.
Dr Karim Sanjabi, leader of the opposition National Front, a coalition of five parties, was arrested in Tehran.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Troops in Shiraz were reported to have killed 15 persons in suppressing anti-monarchist riots.
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.
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).
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.
There were further violent scenes in Tehran but casualties were reported to be fewer than on the previous night.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Majlis (Parliament) was adjourned until January 14.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dr Gholam Hussein Sadighi announced that he had failed to form a government. The Shah asked Mr Shahpur Bakhtiar to attempt the task.
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."