Dey 26, 1357 Solar Hijri

“The Shah is gone” was the main headline that appeared on the front cover of the Iranian newspapers on 16 January 1979 (Dey 26, 1357 Solar Hijri). Following the resignation of Army General Gholamreza Azhari (head of the military government) on December 30, 1978, Shapour Bakhtiar was appointed as Prime Minister by Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi. One of Bakhtiar’s conditions for accepting this position was the Shah’s departure from the country. The Shah himself had realized that his presence in the country would worsen the situation, and in the meetings he had with the The United Statesn ambassador, William Sullivan, and the British Ambassador, Sir Anthony Parsons in Tehran, they also recommended that he leave the country.

On January 16, 1979, Shapour Bakhtiar received a vote of confidence from the National Consultive Assembly. On the same day, the Shah and his wife left Iran with tears in their eyes, under the pretext of pursuing treatment abroad. Before the departure of the Shah, some members of the royal family had gone to the United States. When leaving Tehran, the Shah said: “As I have stated during the formation of the government, I have been feeling tired and I need to rest. I also had said that I will go on a trip after the government is established. This journey begins today. With the vote of the National Consultive Assembly, I hope the government could succeed in restoring the past and establishing the future.” Referring to the duration of the trip, the Shah said: “It depends on my physical well-being and I cannot specify it now.”

At 1:08P PM, the plane carrying the Shah and his wife left Tehran for Egypt.

Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi had already fled the country once again in 1953 but was able to take power again thanks to the coup d’état of August 19, 1953.

News agencies quoted a court official as saying that the Shah took a small box of Iranian soil. Being aware of the news of the Shah’s departure from the country, different groups of people came out to the streets in the cities and started large-scale demonstrations, and in several cities, they brought down the statue of the Shah. People had gathered in groups in Tehran’s neighbourhoods since 2 PM, and the city was filled with joy. The sound of car horns could be heard all over the city and sweets were distributed among people. The nation was full of celebration and joy. On this day, people formed a long line to buy newspapers that used the headline “The Shah is gone.” Then, they changed this headline to “The Shah fled from the country” using it as a placard for their demonstrations.

In Tehran’s Toupkhane Square, people pulled down the Shah’s statue, gave flowers to the soldiers, and chanted slogans on the occasion of the Shah’s departure from the country. William Shawcross, the author of the book The Shah’s Last Ride, writes about this day: “A few moments after the Shah and his wife left Iran, the city exploded with joy. Cars honked continuously while their lights were turned on. People shouted in the streets: Now everyone is free. People had flowers and pictures of Ayatollah Khomeini (ra) in their hands chanting: ‘Thanks to Khomeini, the Shah has escaped’.” Imam Khomeini (ra) also issued a statement on 17 January 1957 congratulating the Shah’s escape from Iran. In this message, we read: “I congratulate the devout nation on the occasion of the escape of Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi, which is the dawn of the victory of the nation and the threshold of salvation and attainment of freedom and independence. You, the courageous, steadfast nation proved to the oppressed nations that it is possible to overcome the difficulties, whatever they might be, through devotion and resistance and achieve the objective – whatever it might be.”

In addition, while encouraging the zealous youth of the whole country to maintain order, the Muslim people to continue their demonstrations and passionate slogans against the monarchical regime and the usurping government, and the army to join the nation he added: “The Provisional Government will be introduced soon to take charge and prepare the grounds for the election of the Constituent Assembly. The ministries are duty-bound to accept them and sincerely cooperate with them.”

The Shah’s escape was a prelude to Imam Khomeini’s arrival in Iran on February 1, 1979.

The demon goes and the angel would come.

Reference: The Encyclopedia of the Islamic Revolution