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@ -20,21 +20,22 @@ Ruhollah Mostafavi Musavi Khomeini was born on May 17, 1900 (some sources cite 1
Khomeini's public profile shifted in the early 1960s when he began delivering speeches condemning the rule of [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]]. He criticized the White Revolution land reforms, what he characterized as the selling of Iranian interests to foreign powers, and the subordination of Islamic law to secular governance. He was arrested in 1963 following an especially provocative speech and briefly jailed. The Shah's government exiled him in 1964; he spent the following years in Najaf, [[Iraq]].[^1]
In October 1978, [[Saddam Hussein]]'s government, under pressure from Iran, expelled Khomeini from Iraq. He relocated to Neauphle-le-Chateau, a suburb of Paris, from which his circle distributed audio recordings of his speeches and coordinated the revolutionary movement inside Iran. The combination of labor strikes, mass demonstrations, and military defections in late 1978 forced the Shah to flee on January 16, 1979.[^2]
In October 1978, [[Saddam Hussein]]'s government expelled Khomeini from Iraq. He relocated to Neauphle-le-Chateau, a suburb of Paris, from which his circle distributed audio recordings of his speeches and coordinated the revolutionary movement inside Iran. The combination of labor strikes, mass demonstrations, and military defections in late 1978 forced the Shah to flee on January 16, 1979.[^1]
Khomeini returned to Tehran on February 1, 1979, greeted by an estimated crowd of up to five million people. Within weeks the revolutionary government had consolidated power and declared the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was formally designated Supreme Leader in December 1979 under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, embodying the principle of velayat-e faqih - guardianship of the jurist - which he had articulated as a theological and political concept across decades of writing.[^1]
Khomeini returned to Tehran on February 1, 1979, greeted by enormous crowds. Within weeks the revolutionary government had consolidated power and declared the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was formally designated Supreme Leader in December 1979 under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, embodying the principle of velayat-e faqih - guardianship of the jurist - which he had articulated as a theological and political concept across decades of writing.[^1]
### Hostage Crisis and October Surprise
On November 4, 1979, Iranian students seized the American embassy in Tehran and took more than sixty American diplomats and staff hostage. Khomeini endorsed the seizure. The crisis lasted 444 days and consumed the final year of President [[Jimmy Carter]]'s administration. The hostages were released on January 20, 1981, the day of [[Ronald Reagan]]'s inauguration - a coincidence that became the basis for the [[1980 October Surprise conspiracy theory|October Surprise]] theory, which alleged that Reagan campaign officials had secretly negotiated with Khomeini's government to delay the release.[^2]
On November 4, 1979, Iranian students seized the American embassy in Tehran and took more than sixty American diplomats and staff hostage.[^2] A November 9, 1979 CIA report quoted a confidant of former Prime Minister [[Shahpour Bakhtiar]] in Paris as saying the occupation was "certainly a planned action authorized by Khomeini."[^2] The crisis lasted 444 days and consumed the final year of President [[Jimmy Carter]]'s administration. The hostages were released on January 20, 1981, the day of [[Ronald Reagan]]'s inauguration - a coincidence that became the basis for the [[1980 October Surprise conspiracy theory|October Surprise]] theory, which alleged that Reagan campaign officials had secretly negotiated with Khomeini's government to delay the release.[^3] The January 3, 1993 joint report of the House task force chaired by [[Lee Hamilton|Lee H. Hamilton]] and [[Henry Hyde|Henry J. Hyde]] examined the allegation.[^3]
The [[Iran-Iraq War]], which began with Iraq's invasion in September 1980, provided the context for the subsequent arms channels to Iran that became the [[Iran-Contra Affair]]. Iran's need for weapons and spare parts during the war was the lever through which intermediaries including [[David Kimche]], [[Manucher Ghorbanifar]], and others brokered arms transfers in exchange for American hostages held in Lebanon by Iranian-linked groups.[^1]
### Death and Succession
Khomeini died on June 3, 1989, in Tehran. The funeral drew an estimated ten million or more attendees, one of the largest in recorded history. He was succeeded as Supreme Leader by [[Ali Khamenei]]. *Time* magazine had named him its Man of the Year for 1979 following the revolution.[^1]
Khomeini died on June 3, 1989, in Tehran. The funeral drew an estimated ten million attendees, one of the largest in recorded history. He was succeeded as Supreme Leader by [[Ali Khamenei]]. *Time* magazine had named him its Man of the Year for 1979 following the revolution.[^1]
### Footnotes
[^1]: "Ruhollah Khomeini," *Encyclopaedia Britannica.* https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ruhollah-Khomeini
[^2]: "Ruhollah Khomeini," Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhollah_Khomeini
[^2]: Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977-1980, vol. XI, part 1, Iran: Hostage Crisis, November 1979-September 1980, memorandum "Takeover of Embassy Tehran," November 4, 1979, and CIA comment of November 9, 1979. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1977-80v11p1
[^3]: Joint Report of the Task Force to Investigate Certain Allegations Concerning the Holding of American Hostages in Iran in 1980, Lee H. Hamilton, Chairman, and Henry J. Hyde, Ranking Republican Member, January 3, 1993 (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1993). https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/003230365