Tehran bazaar mobilizes against the arrest

He compared the Shah’s rule with the tyranny of Yazid and warned that the people would one day celebrate the monarch’s departure.

Khomeini linked the monarchy to American and Israeli influence, presenting political resistance as both national and religious duty.

Large demonstrations used Shi‘i symbols of sacrifice and resistance to express opposition to the Shah.

Commandos seized Khomeini in Qom and transferred him to prison in Tehran after his Ashura speech.

News of Khomeini’s arrest triggered mass protests in Tehran, Qom, Varamin, Shiraz and other locations.

The army and police used lethal force. Casualty estimates remain disputed, but the repression became a foundational memory for supporters of the revolution.

Villagers and religious supporters from Varamin moved toward the capital and were confronted by security forces.

Women carried news, joined street demonstrations and sustained family and neighbourhood networks during the uprising.

Demonstrations persisted after the initial shootings while the government imposed tighter military control.

Supporters later described the uprising as the beginning of the movement that culminated in February 1979.