Varamin protesters march toward Tehran

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.

Merchants, workers and religious networks closed shops and joined demonstrations, showing the political power of bazaar-mosque organization.

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

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.

After months of imprisonment and house arrest, Khomeini returned to Qom and resumed public opposition.

His return demonstrated that detention had increased rather than eliminated his authority among religious and bazaar networks.