Khomeini refuses political silence

The announcement came too late for many demonstrators already moving toward Jaleh Square.

Soldiers used lethal force against crowds in an event remembered as Black Friday.

For many Iranians, the killings demonstrated that the monarchy relied on armed violence and could not be reformed.

Mourning, testimony and political organizing carried the memory of Jaleh Square throughout the country.

Under pressure amid the Iranian crisis, Iraq restricted his political activity in Najaf.

Visitors, recordings and statements had connected Khomeini's exile residence to activists across Iran.

The confrontation set in motion Khomeini's departure and eventual move to France.

The one-party institution created by the Shah in 1975 collapsed under revolutionary pressure.

Ending Rastakhiz acknowledged the failure of an organization designed to absorb all legal political activity.

Officials and local elites tied to Rastakhiz could no longer present it as a channel for popular participation.