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Why did the Iranian government impose martial law on September 8, 1978?
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Iranian Revolution
Ruhollah Khomeini (at open window) greeting supporters after returning to Tehran from exile, February 1979.
The Iranian government imposed martial law on September 8, 1978, in response to the escalating violence and disorder caused by widespread anti-regime protests. Throughout 1978, a cycle of violence had developed in which government forces killed protesters, leading to further demonstrations to commemorate the dead, which in turn resulted in more casualties. By September, the regime, facing an outpouring of hostility from diverse social groups, sought to suppress the growing unrest through military intervention.1