2.1 KiB
| category | tags | summary | born | died | location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political Figure |
|
Under the Shah, Iran maintained good relations with 'moderate pro-American Arab countries' such as Egypt, Jordan, and the Emirates. | 1919-10-26 | 1980-07-27 | Tehran, Iran |
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, also known as the Shah of Iran, ruled for nearly 40 years. His departure from Iran on January 16, 1979, marked a tumultuous upheaval in the Middle East and led to a new threat to Israel existence.1
Under the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran maintained good relations with "moderate pro-United States Arab countries" such as Egypt, Jordan, and the Emirates. However, by 1978, his rule was threatened by widespread discontent due to extreme corruption, skyrocketing prices, and the failure of his White Revolution to address food production issues. The infrastructure of Tehran was also unable to handle the traffic, leading to public frustration.1
Israel intelligence, particularly Ari Ben-Menashe, warned of an impending revolution and the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi imminent overthrow as early as 1978. These warnings were dismissed by United States analysts, who misread the threat to his rule. In December 1978, the Central Intelligence Agency and SAVAK (Iranian secret police) enlisted Israel aid in a plan to assassinate Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, but the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi rejected it, fearing further bloodshed.1
After his departure, the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's Regency and Supreme Military Councils were unable to function, and Shahpour Bakhtiar, his last prime minister, proved helpless. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini arrived in Iran on February 1, 1979, and declared Iran an Islamic republic on April 1. The Israel Embassy in Tehran was subsequently handed over to the Palestine Liberation Organization.1
Footnotes
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Ben-Menashe, Ari. Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network. TrineDay, 1992. ↩︎