The present speech was delivered three days after the bloody tragedy of November 4 (Aban 13 AHS) in which hundreds of school and university students were either martyred or injured as they demonstrated in the grounds of the university of Tehran, and one day after the formation of General Azhari’s military cabinet. In this speech, Imam Khomeini (may God grant him peace) reversion the ‘Shah’s famous declaration of repentance’ and while giving an account of the crimes of the Pahiavi dynasty, he describes the Shah’s words as constituting a contrivance employed in an attempt to prolong his rule and avers: “ . . . When a nation does not want something, then It will not be, and now the nation does not want him. It is not a political party or a faction or Group of people that are saying “no” now, but a nation, and when faced with a nation’s “no,” neither bayonets, tanks, guns nor the empty threats of Carter and the Kremlin are effective . . .“ In addition to delivering this speech, Imam Khomeini also issued a declaration as news of the formation of Azhari’s military government was released. In this declaration, Imam referred to the bloody incident at the university thus: “I am grieved by the crimes perpetrated recently in the University against the youth of Islam. I thank the dear students who have made sacrifices for the cause of Islam and the sake of the country, students who have stood up to the Shah with clenched fists and have condemned him . . . Do not let this military ballyhoo unnerve you, as I know full well it will not. You courageous people have proved that these tanks, machine-guns and bayonets are rusty and cannot confront the iron will of the nation. Do not be deceived by this devilish cajolery and satanic declaration of repentance, as I know you will not be. ..American officials expressed their approval of the Shah’s installation of a military government led by General Azhari. Jill Shugar, spokesperson for the American State Department said: “We support the Shah in this decision. When the Shah sought to form a military government, after it became clear to him that he could not install a coalition government . . . the decision to appoint Azhari, the Army Chief of Staff, was taken by the Shah himself with no Insistence from Washington.” Officials at the American State Department also announced that: “The Shah did not need Washington to tell him to bring in the military. Recent events left him with no choice.

In later years, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Carter’s National Security Adviser, referred to some of the problems of that time and wrote: “ . . . On the following day, November 3 (Aban 13 AHS), from 9:05 to 9:11 a.m., with the President’s authorization, I spoke directly with the Shah (by telephoneI told the Shah that ‘the United States supports you without any reservation whatsoever, completely and fully, in the present crisis. You have our complete support’ . . . The conversation ended with the Shah telling me that he thought the situation was very bad and seemed to be deteriorating fritter. I asked him to let us know if there was anything else, we could do. My purpose in calling the Shah was to make it clear to him that the President and the United States stood behind him and to encourage him to act forcefully before the situation got out of hand.”^{( 464)}

William Sullivan, the US ambassador to Iran at the time, on the events of November 5, 1978 (Aban 14, 1 357 AHS) writes: “By late afternoon the city looked like a battleground. Buildings were still in flames, automobiles were burning in the streets, and piles of old tyres had been set afire, billowing huge clouds of black, acrid smoke wherever they were strewn . . . I received a telephone call from the Shah’s office asking whether I could come and see him. I said I would be there as soon as I could pick my way through the rubble. Half an hour later Haikaz (Sullivan’s driver) and the police major assured me the route was adequately clear to make a dash for the Niavaran palace, and we set out with the major in advance, Haikaz driving the armoured Chrysler, and a chase car behind us. It was nearly dusk in the city, and the eerie drive to the palace had a surrealistic quality . . . We were swept through the main gate without delay and drove up to the front door . . . I found the Shah strangely calm. He told me that he had just returned from a helicopter trip over the city shortly before dusk and that it looked like a wasteland. He said that hundreds of buildings were burning and that destruction seemed to be everywhere. He said he felt he had no choice but to establish a military government. He asked me whether I could quickly ascertain whether Washington would support him in this move. I told him that I had already anticipated this request and had received Washington’s assurance that he would be supported in this action by the President and the United States government. He seemed enormously relieved and ordered a whiskey for me. He then mid me he had also asked the British ambassador to attend, suggesting that we await his arrival. .

In another part of his memoirs Sullivan writes: “All day long I had heard rumours that the burnings were an action by professional arson squads of SAVAK, who were using this means to provoke the Shah into a drastic reaction that would install a military government. I told the Shah I had heard these rumours and asked him whether he felt they were true. He looked at me tiredly, shrugged his shoulders, and said, ‘who knows? These days I am prepared to believe anything.’^{( 465)}

Of the eleven cabinet ministers appointed by Azhari, only six were military, and even this number was whittled down in the following weeks. Even though hundreds of tanks, armoured vehicles and trucks filled with troops were sent onto the streets of the city in an attempt to threaten and intimidate the people, and, in the government’s own words, bring an end to the crisis, the people continued with their demonstrations in most of the streets of Tehran, and shouts of “Death to the Shah” filled the air. After hearing of the instalment of a military government, Imam Khomeini immediately announced his stance on the matter. His first reaction was given in an interview with CBS of America on Monday November 6, 1978 (Aban 1 5, 1 357 AHS). Imam was asked: “What is the reaction of Your Eminence to the latest events (the change in government and the Shah’s comments)?” Imam replied: “The change in government will not affect the Iranian people’s movement. Governments, whether military or other, cannot solve the problem, they cannot crush the uprising which issues from the people.” That same day, in an interview with Channel Two of German radio and television, Imam said: “The people will act towards this military government as they did towards the other military governments. These desperate changes in Iran are futile and will not help the Shah. The Shah must go, there is no other way.

Throughout the rule of this dynasty, mistakes have been made which have been most regrettable. Some of them were made during the time of Riza Shah and others during the rule of this man (Muhammad Riza). From the beginning when Riza Shah enacted his coup d’etat on the command of the British,^{( 466)} one of the mistakes which were made was that those who knew the facts and understood what was going on did not inform the people.

Riza Shah began his rule doing the same kind of things that his son does now. He devoted much attention to attending rauzas^{( 467)} . He ordered groups of soldiers onto the streets at ‘Ashura to beat their chests in mourning - I myself saw this - and in Tehran, he himself used to go from this takiya^{( 468)} to that takiya where rauzas were being held. Wherever he went, the mourning ceremonies were well attended.^{( 469)} It is this type of chicanery that this man (Muhammad Riza) is practising today. Riza Khan entered the scene with this weapon, and there were those then who knew exactly what was going on, but their mistake was that they failed to show his true face to the people. Later, when his hypocritical show was no longer necessary, he showed his true colours and closed down the takiyas and banned all religious assemblies such that throughout the whole of Iran rauzas and other religious ceremonies were no longer held. This action of his is something that you all know took place^{( 470)} .

Another mistake made at that time by those who should have enlightened the people to the facts was that they did not lend their support to Mudarris. Mudarris was the only great man to stand up and oppose Riza Khan, and while some of those in the Parliament supported his stance, he met with obstinate opposition from others. At that time too, some faction or other could have lent him its support. Had this happened, in the light of the fact that Mudarris was a man endowed with many laudable qualities, being an enlightened individual, a powerful speaker and a brave man, he was the kind of man who could have uprooted the evil of this family there and then. But it did not happen.

More distressing than this, and it grieves me whenever I think about it, is the invasion of Iran by the Allies. At the time, Riza Shah praised which no other country was powerful enough to attack! (His son’s boasting now is just like that of his father before him; he is truly his father’s son!) However, once it was clear that this was just empty talk, the first declaration was never followed up by a second! I^{( 471)} t is said that when Riza Shah chastised one of his commanders as to why it took the Allies merely one or two hours to invade Iran, the reply was: “It should have taken only five minutes. At least we lasted for two hours. They had everything while we had nothing!”^{( 472)}

All the means of suppression, which were brought into being in the country, were done so for the purpose of suppressing the power of the nation itself. During the Riza Shah era, powerful people existed in Iran, men who were ruthless but who were loyal to their country. Riza Shah clipped their wings on the orders of the foreigners and, through the agreements he made with the latter, divested these powerful figures of all their power^{( 473)} In doing this, the foreigners too were acting in accordance with a plan, a plan which was to strip these powerful men in Iran of their power, to disarm them and thus preclude any display of power by them. So this is what Riza Shah did, he divested powerful men of their power and, as you all know, in the end he himself went in the manner that he did, being taken away by the British along with the country’s crown jewels!

I was told by someone who himself had been told by an officer who had accompanied Riza Shah on his journey to the island of Mauritius,^{( 474)} how, upon being told by the British that he had to leave Iran, Riza Shah packed the crown jewels into his suitcases to take with him believing that they (the British) wanted to take him somewhere to live in a palace! During his journey to board the ship that was to take him into exile, he stopped at a bridge and sobbed in vain. The British put him on board a ship with all the jewels in his suitcases and once out at sea, a ship used for transporting animals came up alongside his ship and he was told to board it; on seeing that he had no alternative but to do as he was told, he boarded the other ship. When he asked about his suitcases, the British told him that they would bring them for him, but he went one way and his suitcases the other! God only knows whether the British still have them or not.^{( 475)} and now today, this Shah is doing the same thing as his father did.^{( 476)}

Yes, Riza Shah left, and when the armies of three countries invaded Iran and everything was exposed to danger, the people still rejoiced. It was as if they were celebrating the arrival of the Allies, but they were rejoicing because they had been told that the Allies had sent Riza Shah away! For they had experienced Riza Shah’s oppressiveness, it was not something that he hid from them, so when the Allies arrived, even though they were the enemy, the people rejoiced for they believed they would act better than he had done. When a personage, a king, a holder of power does not enjoy the support of the nation, the people rejoice when he is removed from power and leaves the country, proclaiming how fortunate it is that he has gone instead of rising up to ask why.

Truly, how fortunate it is that he has gone. But here, what is indubitably a source of regret and great sorrow, is that at that time, when the Allies came and Riza Shah left, not one voice was raised to say that the people didn’t want his son (to succeed him) and thus stop the Allies from putting him on the throne. For indeed it was they who installed him in power. The Shah himself has admitted this, he wrote this in his book, although I have heard that it was later deleted. The sentence “the Allies thought it fitting that I assume power” was later expunged from his book.^{( 477)} If only at that time someone, such as one of the country’s leading figures, a member of the ‘ulama or a group of people had spoken out to say: “We do not want this dynasty; we have had to endure much at their hands; what did the father do for us that should make us think the son is going to do any better?” This was one of the acts of negligence which took place in the history of Iran; had it not happened, the course of Iranian history could have been changed and we would not be sitting here speaking about it today, neither would I be here, nor you gentlemen, everybody would be going about his own business in his own country.

Political personalities, leading clerical figures and other classes of people in our country were grossly remiss in this regard, and thus this man was imposed on us and his rule subsequently strengthened. From that time until the present, there have been further cases of negligence. Qavam al-Saltana could have done something, but he was careless and weak-willed.^{( 478)} More important than Qavam al-Saltana was Dr. Musaddiq.^{( 479)} country, but he made mistakes, one of which was that at the time that he assumed power, he did not stamp out that man (Muhammad Riza) and end matters. It was not a difficult thing at all for him to have done at that time, because control of the army lay in his hands, all the organs of power lay in his hands and the Shah himself had not acquired the powerful position that he was to acquire later. At that time, the Shah was weak and was at the mercy of Musaddiq, but the latter was remiss.

Another instance of negligence, which occurred, is to be found in the fact that Musaddiq dissolved the Parliament and ordered the deputies to resign one by one. When they did so, a legal way lay open for the Shah to reassert himself, because in the absence of a Parliament the Shah reserves the right to appoint a Prime Minister, and this he did! These were the mistakes that the Doctor made, and in their wake, this man (the Shah) was once again returned to Iran. In the words of some, “Muhammad Riza Shah left and Riza Shah returned.” Some people told the Doctor that his actions .had resulted in Muhammad Riza Shah leaving - and at the time of his departure he was a man of straw completely at the mercy of Musaddiq - and Riza Shah returning. What they meant by this was that a man of ascendant power returned. They said how at that time they didn’t realise that later on Muhammad Riza would be a Riza Shah of a much more fiery temperament.

This was one of the mistakes that was made. Today, we are once again at a sensitive period in our history, and I’m afraid more mistakes might be made. Today, it is we who are duty-bound. We have witnessed many mistakes over the years, and I am afraid that this time too, the different classes of our society, our religious and political personalities and our intellectuals, may once again err in such a way that will bedevil us till the end of our lives and dash the hopes of another revolution ever taking place. You all know, and whoever is familiar with our history knows, that this movement we are witnessing in Iran today has no precedent in the country’s history, if not in world history. It is a movement in which seven-year-old children call out in unison with seventy-year-old men:

“We do not want him!” A movement in which soldiers take to the streets with bayonets, guns and tanks attacking and killing the people, yet still these people stand firm with fists clenched shouting: “We Do not want him.” I’m not sure whether world history has ever experienced a story like that of Iran’s today, but most certainly the transition which is taking place in the country has no precedent in the history of Iran. I know, and any other discerning individual must surely know, that if this movement loses its momentum, it can never be retrieved. It is not a case of being able to turn this movement on and off like a light switch. This unprecedented movement has come about as a result of much hardship and because the hand of God the Blessed and Exalted is involved. Today, even with a military government in place and the cities of Iran occupied -for we must describe them as being occupied by the military -demonstrations are held, voices are raised from every corner and cries of “Death to the Shah” are heard once more. Such a thing has never happened before and there is no hope of it ever being repeated. I am afraid that we, you and others in our society might err and that this will result in the movement losing its momentum, not being brought to fruition and our country remaining for evermore captive and under the heel of foreigners.

Now they are expending every effort through every means at their disposal to retain him, either by using those who have entered the Parliament as so-called deputies or those outside the Parliament who support the Shah. These manoeuvres that you have witnessed lately in Parliament also form part of their efforts. All this talk of one group constituting the opposition and the other the supporters is all nonsense. All, the opponents and the supporters agree on one thing, that the Shah must remain.^{( 480)} they go on about “free elections,”^{( 481)} what does this mean? It means that “His Most Exalted Majesty” will order the people to select their representatives, the regime will be formally retained and the referendum will be in the hands of the Shah. It means that the elections will be free, but free according to his command! This is what free elections mean! There must be a democratic regime and the Shah must reign not govern! This idea must be advanced both inside and outside the Parliament, everywhere it should be voiced that the Shah must reign not govern, and now they are praying to. God that the people accept this proposal.

Indeed, this the Shah may do for the first two or three months, even perhaps for a year, but what about after that? Even if we assume (albeit a false assumption) that from now on he reigns and does not govern, that the revolution recognises him as ruler and he becomes a proper, correct person, nevertheless what about all these crimes that he has committed so far? Are they of no consequence? If your ordinary man in the street were to kill another human being and then say, “I’m sorry, forgive me,” would he be let off? Would the law set him free? Is it logical then to forgive this murderer? Should we now forgive someone who for the past twenty-five years has ruled the destiny of our country, who for these past twenty-five years or more has betrayed our country, has given its wealth away to others, is exhausting our oil reserves in this way and is giving our gas away, who has killed all these people and perpetrated all these massacres? In the massacre, which took place on Khurdad 15, fifteen thousand people were killed, and in those which have taken place recently even more have been killed. Now he’s telling us that these were mistakes, that he erred; and he promises that it won’t happen again!! Even if we presume that, these mistakes will not be repeated, what about those that have been made up until now? You (addressing the Shah) threw political and religious figures into prison for ten, fifteen years or more. You persecuted them terribly and made them endure so much. But now that they have been released, and in such a weak state of health at that, now that a number of them have been released, is everything over and done with? You robbed a human being, thousands of human beings of ten years of their lives. Is this of no consequence? Should we now let this man reign? Should we tell him” “Okay, Your Most Exalted Majesty, please, ascend your throne and reign over us?” And should we all go to pay tribute to him at the king’s reception! Should he now go and sit in an opulent palace somewhere and busy himself with the pursuit of pleasure for he is no longer required to govern? Have things come to this? Could a just person; could a Muslim accept such a thing? Could a Muslim, a morally-conscious person, a human being be expected to forgive a criminal who for twenty-odd years has ruled over this nation illegally, who for twenty-odd years has squandered the wealth of these people, has committed mass murder and allowed foreigners to dominate our country, as soon as he says: “Well, I made a mistake, forgive me”!

Mistakes have been made which constitute criminal acts for which he should be sentenced in a court of law Let us suppose that now he has indeed become a servant of God and a Muslimi What about his actions up to now’? Would he be acquitted of them in a court of law anywhere in the world’? Would a religious court acquit him’? According to the laws of Islam or secular law is everything finished as soon as he being the Shah says sorry’? Should we now let bygones be bygones and return to our everyday affairs’? To compromise now to even think of compromising with this man to even think of permitting him to reign but not govern or getting rid of him and allowing Farah to reign over us and free elections to take place later, is tantamount to treason against the nation of Islam, against this oppressed nation.^{( 482)} Is the aged mother who yesterday sat and ate lunch with five members of her family but who this evening sits alone with her husband for her children have all been killed, is she of no consequence? He (the Shah) is sorry, so is all forgotten? Can a Muslim accept this? How will we answer those who watch a group of children on their way to school in the knowledge that their child who accompanied them yesterday is not with them today? What will we be able to say to this nation? Will we say that we have made a compromise with “His Most Exalted Majesty” so the blood of your children means nothing now, it is insignificant? Is this not treachery? How can anyone think of doing such a thing? What kind of negligence, satanic negligence, is this? What kind of devilish insinuation is this that creeps into the minds of some telling them to let bygones be bygones that it is better to overlook what he has done? “Everyone has suffered, but we have forgiven now you must forgive and forget!” Which crimes of his should we overlook? Is it my place to overlook them? It is the right of the nation to say whether we should overlook these mistakes or not. Can this right be overlooked? It is the right of the nation, of Islam, of God. Is he worthy of pardon?

I am afraid that such a mistake may be made. The people should all join hands together and prevent such a blunder from being made. All sides are now resorting to various measures in an attempt to make you young people here and those in Iran kick up a fuss about this. At this sensitive period in time, now that the movement has reached the last stronghold, do not let this man win.

This is a danger, which Iran now faces. If weakness is shown and a mistake made, or if the people are ruffled by the hue and cry Carter is creating by saying that the Shah preserves their interests, that they will not neglect their servant, that this servant must remain - although this is not the actual word Carter used it makes no difference for the substance of what he said is that they could never find another servant like him - then this would constitute a grievous danger for Iran. You should not be frightened by these things.

A nation cannot be intimidated indefinitely. As we saw, they were not able to use the army to do this. He (the Shah) is very eager for the military to commit genocide, to kill one, two or three million people, but it won’t happen; this is not how it works. Those overlords cannot do this either. Do not be mistaken in thinking that if you resist their plans then the Russian army will invade from one direction, the American army from another and the British from another. This is all a myth. When a nation