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Iranian Revolution: Quick Facts

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Iran bans Lion and Sun jewelry amid anti-regime protests • Nov. 4, 2026, 6:21 AM ET (Jerusalem Post)

Facts

Also Known As Enqelāb-e Eslāmī • Islamic Revolution
Date January 1978 - April 1, 1979
Location Iran

Did You Know?

  • This Revolution was partly a movement against the Westernization that accompanied modernization and the Shah starting in the 1950s.
  • The groups that opposed the Shah did not have what one might imagine as a cohesive political ideology or vision; they included far right-wing clergy who favored a theocratic government, nationalists, and far left-wing interests such as communists.

Photos

Ruhollah Khomeini
Reza Shah Pahlavi
A blindfolded man with his hands bound is escorted by four men outside the U.S. Embassy in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis, with onlookers in the background.
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Related Topics and References

Topics
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Key People

Ruhollah Khomeini
Ruhollah Khomeini
Iranian religious leader
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi seated in a suit and striped tie, wearing large dark glasses, with his arms resting on the chair, 1979.
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi
shah of Iran