First round elects Iran’s new Majlis

Iran and Iraq exchanged ratifications in Tehran, bringing the treaty and associated protocols into force. The instruments made the negotiated border settlement legally operative before the...

After years of exile in Najaf, Khomeini left Iraq under pressure from the Iraqi government. The move relocated the Iranian opposition leader to France and formed part of the strained relationship...

Khomeini’s return placed him at the center of the revolutionary transition. The new political order that followed disrupted Iran’s regional relationships and heightened Iraqi leaders’ concern about...

The armed forces declared neutrality as the royal government collapsed. The transition weakened and reorganized Iran’s military command while the new republic faced domestic conflict and growing...

Abolhassan Bani-Sadr won the Islamic Republic’s first presidential election. He would lead Iran’s presidency during the invasion’s opening months before losing power in the political crisis of June...

Washington broke diplomatic relations during the hostage crisis. For Iran, the rupture preceded the Iraqi invasion and further narrowed channels with a major power as Tehran faced regional threats and...

Operation Eagle Claw was aborted in the Iranian desert after equipment failures and a collision killed eight U.S. personnel. The failed incursion intensified the crisis and reinforced Tehran’s...

A second parliamentary election round filled additional seats in Iran’s first post-revolutionary Majlis. Voting had been postponed in some areas, so the rounds did not resolve every vacancy.

Iran inaugurated its first post-revolutionary Majlis. Bani-Sadr and Khomeini addressed the new institution as Iran faced domestic divisions and growing tensions with Iraq.

A CIA daily assessment described Iraq seeking Gulf leadership and stronger ties with Arab monarchies. It identified deteriorating relations with Iran as a constraint on Baghdad’s ambitions.