Iran completes the operation that breaks Abadan’s siege

Ousted president Bani-Sadr escaped Iran aboard a military aircraft and received asylum in France. His flight moved a major strand of Iranian political opposition into exile while the war continued.

Khomeini issued the decree confirming Rajai as president after the July election. The endorsement made his authority conditional on adherence to Islam, the Constitution and the country’s interests.

UPI cited diplomatic sources alleging British recovery tanks sold through Jordan were intended for Iraq. The report also described planned work on Chieftains captured from Iran.

UPI relayed an ABC investigation into Israeli military supplies reaching Iran during the hostage crisis. The reporting described spare-parts transactions that predated the later Iran-Contra channel.

A bomb at the prime minister’s office killed President Mohammad Ali Rajai and Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar. Iran again faced a leadership vacancy during its first year of war.

An Iranian C-130 crashed near Tehran, killing commanders including Fallahi, Fakouri, Namjou, Kolahdouz and Jahanara. The disaster removed important military leaders soon after the Abadan relief...

Kuwait reported an attack by Iranian aircraft. The allegation brought regional airspace and Iraq’s Gulf supporters into the conflict beyond the main Iran–Iraq front.

Ali Khamenei won the election following President Rajai’s assassination. Iran’s third president emerged from a year of leadership upheaval during the war.

Ali Khamenei was sworn in as Iran’s third president. His inauguration followed successive presidential removal and assassination as the country’s institutions operated under wartime pressure.

The U.S. Senate voted 52-48 against blocking an arms package for Saudi Arabia, including AWACS aircraft. Approval extended the security relationship strengthened during the Iran-Iraq war.