Ayatollah Khomeini Returns from Exile to Iran

Summary

Widespread protests had forced Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to leave Iran on January 16 amid the unfolding revolution. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leading opposition figure, had lived in exile since 1964, mostly in Iraq and then France. On February 1, 1979, he flew from Paris to Tehran on a chartered Air France jet and was greeted by millions of supporters at Mehrabad Airport. Khomeini immediately began consolidating revolutionary authority and rejecting the remaining provisional government. His arrival accelerated the Shah’s regime collapse ten days later.

Why It Matters

The return transformed the Iranian Revolution into an Islamic Republic under Khomeini’s leadership, ending the monarchy and reshaping Middle East geopolitics. It established a model of clerical governance that influenced regional movements and U.S.-Iran relations for decades. The event marked a major shift in global energy politics and ideological conflicts.

Sources

1. Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran, HISTORY.com. Accessed 2026-07-08.
2. Ruhollah Khomeini's return to Iran, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-07-08.