Shah Flees Iran as Islamic Revolution Succeeds

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi flees Iran amid mass popular uprising, ending 26 years of US-backed rule and beginning a fundamental transformation of US-Iran relations.

By the late 1970s, the Shah's regime had become deeply unpopular due to political repression, lavish spending, and his close identification with the United States. Massive protests led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini — organizing from exile near Paris — paralyzed the country. On January 16, 1979, the Shah left Iran for exile, eventually entering the United States for cancer treatment. On February 1, Khomeini returned triumphant to Iran, greeted by millions. The monarchy was abolished and Iran was declared an Islamic Republic in a referendum where 98% approved the change. Khomeini dubbed the United States "the Great Satan," and Iran's new theocratic government declared American imperialism its primary ideological enemy.