The Shah Is Gone
"The Shah Is Gone"
TEHRAN – "The Shah Is Gone" dominated Iranian newspaper headlines on January 16, 1979, when Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, was forced to flee the country in January 1979, less than a month before the Pahlavi dynasty was toppled in the Islamic Revolution.
The short headline has been described as the "most famous headline in Iranian history." Newspapers carrying this headline sold over a million copies within hours.
Even the Shah’s Western backers, at the 1979 Guadeloupe Conference, had concluded that there was no way to prevent his overthrow.
The Shah was last seen in Iran boarding an aircraft at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport, leaving behind a troubled legacy. It was reported that he and his third wife, Farah Diba, took a large portion of their wealth on two planes destined for Aswan in southern Egypt.
Why did the despotic Shah leave?
After the failure of his Prime Minister Gholamreza Ezhari's military administration to quell protests and restore calm, the Shah asked for a royal council to elect a new prime minister. He hoped to maintain his rule and negotiate with the revolution's leader, but this final attempt also failed.
He appointed Shapour Bakhtiar from the National Front of Iran as prime minister in an attempt to appease revolutionaries. He agreed to all of Bakhtiar’s conditions, including ceding full authority to him.
Demonstrations spiraled out of control in January. Army mutiny further forced his escape; this time with no return in sight.
The Shah had first been forced to leave the country in August 1953 after attempting to dismiss democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq. Mosaddeq's immense popular support resulted in the Shah’s exile. Days later, British and U.S. intelligence agents orchestrated a coup against Mosaddeq, and the Shah returned to power as a despotic ruler, supported by his Western allies.
His wife, then the crown prince, reportedly proposed that he relinquish his monarchical authority to her, but he rejected forced abdication as pointless.
Fourteen days later, the founding father of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, known as Imam Khomeini in Iran and the Islamic world, returned from 15 years of exile and took control of Iran.
Pahlavi died of cancer just 18 months later at age 60, broken and stateless, having been refused asylum by his former ally, the United States.
What happened after Shah’s escape?
Following his escape, the Shah told reporters at the airport he was unwell and needed rest. After his departure, people across the country more bravely took to the streets, demanding an end to his corrupt, despotic regime. The absolute majority of Iranians detested him and were jubilant after his escape.
By staying in Egypt, he hoped to return to Iran and regain his lost power, but with the arrival of Imam Khomeini (PBUH) in Iran and the rapid progress of the revolution, all the Shah's hopes were dashed. Faced with growing public anger, government officials quit one after another. With the Shah gone, the motivation to defend the monarchical system faded.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini, reacted to the Shah’s escape by asking the people to finish the job. In less than a month, under his wise leadership, the Shahpour Bakhtiar government was toppled.
The Imam referred to the Shah's escape as the beginning of an end, stating, "The Shah's escape is not a victory, rather it is the start of victory. I congratulate the Iranian nation on this.” Imam further described the Shah’s fleeing the country as “the overthrow of foreign powers’ domination."
Imam Khomeini described the people's unity as the main factor that forced the Shah out: "This unity of words caused that neither the Shah with all the power he possessed, nor those who supported him, big powers such as America, the Soviet Union, China, Britain, were defeated in the face of nation’s power. They all pulled back their support for him and that’s why he had to flee," Imam Khomeini underscored.
Imam Khomeini said the Shah’s escape was a humiliation for U.S. imperialism, as the main backer of his regime. He further ridiculed the Shah for being subordinate to the American ambassador to Tehran, stating, “By naming himself the Kings of the Kings, he was insulting even the kings. He was the worst ruler in history.”
"You brave and steadfast nation have proven to the oppressed nations that with sacrifice and resistance, one can overcome any difficulties and reach their own target, no matter how difficult the way may be," the Leader of the Islamic Revolution further said.
The Shah traveled to several countries before entering the United States in October 1979. In Tehran, students responded on November 4 by taking over the U.S. embassy, considered a Den of Espionage. Backed by Imam Khomeini, the students demanded the return of the Shah to Iran to face justice for his crimes, but the American government refused to negotiate. Subsequently, 52 American diplomats were held in Iran for 444 days.
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi died in Egypt in July 1980. His death ended not only his 37-year reign but also 2,500 years of monarchy in Iran.
source: tehrantimes.com