Khomeini formally dismisses President Bani-Sadr

William Eagleton and Tariq Aziz discussed improving U.S.–Iraqi relations and trade. The rapprochement developed while Iran was still fighting to recover occupied territory.

Khomeini stripped Bani-Sadr of command of the armed forces. The decision deepened a political struggle at the top of Iran’s wartime government before the president’s impeachment and dismissal.

An ICRC operation returned 25 seriously wounded Iranian prisoners of war to Tehran airport. The return provided an early humanitarian route home during continuing combat.

A large protest against efforts to remove Bani-Sadr led to clashes and arrests in Tehran. Executions and repression followed, widening the internal crisis while Iran remained at war with Iraq.

Mostafa Chamran, a former defense minister and leader of irregular forces, was killed near Dehlavieh. His death became a prominent part of Iranian remembrance of the war’s first year.

A bomb concealed in a tape recorder wounded Ali Khamenei during a mosque appearance. The attack injured a senior revolutionary figure months before he became Iran’s wartime president.

An explosion at the Islamic Republican Party’s Tehran headquarters killed Mohammad Beheshti and many senior officials. The loss intensified Iran’s political emergency during the war.

A CIA assessment judged that Iraq sought to use the Israeli reactor raid to weaken Syrian and Libyan support for Iran. The document examined regional realignment during the ongoing war.

A British parliamentary answer recorded £85.7 million in petroleum-related imports from Iran in 1980. Oil commerce continued during the year that Iraq invaded Iran.

Mohammad Ali Rajai won the election held after Bani-Sadr’s removal. The presidency changed hands while Iran continued fighting Iraq and faced political violence at home.