In 1979, Iran erupted in revolution, fuelled by widespread discontent with the Shah’s authoritarian rule and his alignment with Western powers.
Ayatollah Imam Khomeini emerged as the symbolic leader of the uprising, uniting diverse factions under the banner of Islamic governance. Massive protests and civil disobedience crippled the Shah’s regime, eventually forcing him into exile. Upon his return from exile, Khomeini galvanized the masses and established an Islamic Republic. The revolution brought radical changes to Iran—severing Western ties and imposing strict religious laws. It inspired Islamic Movements worldwide and reshaped Middle Eastern geopolitics. The legacy of the Iranian Revolution remains complex, marked by both empowerment and repression. The Shah’s fall signaled a major setback for American and Western influence in the region.
The 1979 Iranian Revolution ended the Pahlavi dynasty’s four-decade rule and ushered in an era of Islamic governance under Ayatollah Khomeini. His return from exile marked a dramatic transformation of Iran’s political system and ideology. The revolution brought sweeping changes to Iranian society, including the enforcement of Islamic laws and rejection of Western cultural influences. Tensions with the West escalated, particularly with the United States, following the US embassy hostage crisis in Tehran. The revolution also triggered the Iran-Iraq War, which lasted eight years and caused massive destruction. Iran’s relations with the international community, especially the US and UK, grew increasingly complex. To this day, the revolution’s impact endures in Iran’s internal governance, foreign relations and its assertive role in Middle Eastern affairs, influencing movements and shaping regional power dynamics.
Reza Shah Pahlavi was the Shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979, when he fled the Iranian Revolution and his rule ended following a constitutional referendum. Reza later imposed aggressive economic development policies, including the modernization program known as the White Revolution. The program rapidly upended the traditional power structures in the country, heightening tensions that eventually led to Reza’s downfall in 1979.
The White Revolution gained Shah’s new support from the rural poor and the urban working class, but he faced continuing political criticism from those who felt that the reforms did not move far or fast enough and religious criticism from those who believed Westernization to be antithetical to Islam. Opposition to the Shah himself was based upon his autocratic rule, corruption in his government, the unequal distribution of oil wealth, forced Westernization and the activities of SAVAK, the secret police, in suppressing dissent and opposition to his rule. These negative aspects of Shah’s rule became markedly accentuated after Iran began to reap greater revenues from its petroleum exports beginning in 1973.
Widespread dissatisfaction among the lower classes, Shia clergy, bazaar merchants and students led in 1978 to the growth of support for Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Shia religious leader living in exile in Paris. Rioting and turmoil in Iran’s major cities brought down four successive governments as the Iranian Revolution gained momentum. On January 16, 1979, pro-America Shah left the country, and Imam Khomeini assumed control. Although the Shah did not abdicate, a referendum resulted in the declaration on April 1, 1979, of an Islamic Republic in Iran. The Shah travelled to Egypt, Morocco, The Bahamas and Mexico before entering the United States on October 22, 1979, for medical treatment of lymphatic cancer. Two weeks later Iranian militants seized the US embassy in Tehran and took hostage more than 50 Americans, demanding the extradition of the Shah in return for the hostages’ release. Extradition was refused, but the Shah later left for Panama and then Cairo, where he was granted asylum by President Anwar Sadat.
From 1979 to date Iranian religious leadership has never been accepted by Israel, America, Great Britain and their ally countries. Under the radical regime Iran became stronger regional power influencing Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen and Shia Militia in Syria. Israel has long been attacking Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen under US patronage. Israeli hardliner Benjamin Netanyahu has become existential threat to Middle Eastern countries. Netanyahu for achievement of his catastrophic agenda of Greater Israel has waged war firstly on Palestine and then Iran. Netanyahu underestimated Iranian military might and attacked Iran in haste. Israel has disappointed America with its shallow deliverance against Iran and Palestine because it could not crush Hamas in Palestine and radical regime in Iran.
Iran responded to Israeli attacks using its indigenous arsenal, inflicting significant damage within Israel. In reaction, the United States, India, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Japan pledged support for Israel against Iran. To reinforce this alliance, the US and UK deployed aircraft carriers to the Strait of Hormuz. A panicked America and Israel are now pushing for regime change in Iran. Pro-US and pro-Israel Reza Shah, son of the former Iranian monarch in exile, is reportedly being positioned for power by Netanyahu and Trump after 47 years. If successful, this move would radically alter Middle Eastern geopolitics. The fall of Tehran would signify the fall of Al-Quds (Bait ul Maqdas). The ousting of the clergy and the reinstatement of the Shah would mark a historic defeat for Iran’s clerical leadership. A reinstated Reza Shah would likely align Iran with Israel and the US, potentially pressuring Pakistan to follow suit.
—The writer is author of several books based in UK.
(naveedamankhan@hotmail.com)
