The exile journey becomes international news

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.

After nearly thirteen years in Iraq, he left when authorities made continued political activity impossible.

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

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.

Telephone links, cassettes and visiting supporters accelerated communication with the movement.

The move to France expanded rather than reduced Khomeini's political influence.