Bahman 22, 1357 (February 11, 1979), is the beginning and end of the two governments in Iran. The end of the imperial government, and the beginning of the revolutionary government that by popular vote called the Islamic Republic.
The pace of the revolutionary events in the second half of 1979 was such that, made it impossible for political experts to predict the future of the Iran situation.
The Shah, by changing the three prime ministers (Sharif-Emami, Azhari, Bakhtiar), and the brutal killing of people all over the country, showed clear signs of the regime’s confusion.
Demonstrations against the Shah commenced in September 1977, developing into a campaign of civil resistance that included both secular and religious elements, and which intensified in December 1977. Between July and November 1979, strikes and demonstrations paralyzed the country. The Shah left Iran for exile on January 16, 1979, as the last Persian monarch, leaving his duties to a regency council and Shapour Bakhtiar who was an opposition-based prime minister. Ayatollah Khomeini was invited back to Iran by the government and returned to Tehran to a greeting by several million Iranians.
By escape of the regime’s leaders, including Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi and his family from the country, and the arrival of Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran, a countdown had begun to end the monarchy. Khomeini’s arrival in Iran on February 1, 1979, effectively put the Shah’s regime in an unwanted condition and made it pretty desperate.
On the day of his arrival, Khomeini made clear his rejection of Bakhtiar’s government in a speech promising, “I shall kick their teeth in. I appoint the government, I appoint the government in support of this nation.” On 16 Bahman at his headquarters in the Refah School in southern Tehran, he declared a provisional revolutionary government, appointed opposition leader Mahdi Bazargan (from the religious-nationalist Freedom Movement, affiliated with the National Front) as his prime minister, and commanded Iranians to obey Bazargan as a religious duty.
The commanders and officers of the Imperial Armed Forces were becoming more and more powerless as they had faced a tremendous amount of people who were chanting slogans against the shah and his foreign supporters such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel and the Soviet Union, in the streets.
Since some of the officers and personnel of the Air Force were somehow pro-Khomeini, a group of Imperial Guard forces clashed with them. News of the clashes soon spread in the city. Regardless of the strict night-time curfew over the city, people turned to the Air Force for support. A group of Imperial Guard armoured units rushed to the scene of the conflict to suppress the Air Force outlaws. This led the people to accompany the Air Force, and as a result, the people armed by the Shah’s army and took up arms against the Imperial Guard.
On February 10, these conflicts like flames of fire, made everything prey and quickly spread to other barracks and military bases in Tehran. In such a situation, the military command of Tehran set longer hours for martial law over the city. In the face of this action, the people, by Khomeini’s decree, ignored martial law and took to the streets. Rapidly, there was an increase in street fights. Throughout the night, not only did people not leave the streets but their attacks on government military centers not diminished.
By sunrise on Sunday, February 11, 1979, many military centers and checkpoints had been caught one after another, and the doors of the armouries opened to the people. Qasr and Evin prisons, Ministries, and government agencies were also seized.
On the morning of February 11, the Supreme Military Council, with the presence of senior commanders at an emergency meeting, decided to declare the army’s neutrality, saying in a statement:
“In the current political disputes, to prevent chaos and bloodshed, the army is declared neutral, and all military personnel were ordered back to their bases.”
This army’s measure provoked Bakhtiar’s anger, but the work was over. The speaker of the National Parliament also announced that due to the resignation of the majority of the representatives, the House is dissolved.
When the Iranian National Radio and Television Organization finally fell into the hands of the revolutionary forces, its first message came to the Iranian people:
“Here is Tehran, the true voice of the Iranian nation, the voice of the revolution...”
The message of Ayatollah Khomeini was immediately broadcast. It was about the events of the day and the announcement of neutrality of the army, and also warnings to the people to beware of the probable plots by the regime’s mercenaries.
Bakhtiar was there until the last moment before the people stormed Prime Minister Palace, but escaped by a helicopter.
Similar to the events in Tehran, occurred in other small and large cities in the country, and the newspapers with the big headline wrote “The regime collapsed” and “The end of 2,500 years of monarchy in Iran.”
Thus, the Islamic Revolution of Iran, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, achieved victory by presenting thousands of martyrs and injured, and on February 12, 1979, the Provisional Government officially began its activity.
Bahman 22 (February 11, 1979) is the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, which is celebrated every year by the people of Iran with special rituals.
Archive of The History of the Islamic Revolution
leave your comments