Khomeini departs Najaf

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.

Dissolution did not satisfy a movement increasingly committed to ending monarchical rule.

Border authorities denied him admission, preventing relocation to another neighboring Muslim country.

The attempted move drew attention to efforts by regional governments to contain the Iranian revolutionary message.

The failed entry into Kuwait led his circle to choose a location with greater access to international media.

His arrival in France unexpectedly placed the exiled leader within reach of global journalists and Iranian activists abroad.

Frequent interviews helped transmit revolutionary demands to audiences inside and outside Iran.