General Azhari becomes prime minister

The violence and unrest made the prime minister's policy of conciliation politically untenable.

He acknowledged the revolutionary movement and promised to correct abuses and past mistakes.

The admission revealed how far popular mobilization had shifted the balance of political legitimacy.

The speech offered change without accepting the central opposition demand that the Shah leave power.

Rather than restoring confidence, the address suggested that sustained protest was forcing the monarchy toward collapse.

Authorities attempted to restore order through arrests, censorship, curfews and troop deployments.

His resignation marked the failure of limited concessions to divide or demobilize the opposition.

Supporters viewed the appointment as confirmation that royal power rested on coercion rather than popular consent.

Enormous peaceful processions in Tehran and other cities displayed national unity against the monarchy.

Religious symbolism framed opposition to tyranny as a contemporary continuation of Imam Husayn's struggle.