Word: khomeini
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1970-1979
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Iran's northwestern city of Tabriz (pop. 1 million), tens of thousands of Azerbaijani Turks, the country's largest ethnic minority, revolted against Khomeini's rule shortly after a referendum had made him a virtual dictator for life. The rebels are followers of Ayatullah Kazem Sharietmadari, who is both Khomeini's leading religious rival and Iran's foremost Muslim moderate. They demanded autonomy for Azerbaijan...
This upheaval contributed to a sense in Washington that time might after all be on the Administration's side, that Iran was sinking gradually into chaos and that Khomeini might be more willing to listen to the President's basic message: Let's make a deal. The Administration, however, carefully avoided raising public expectations that a settlement was in sight. Said a high State Department aide: "I am more optimistic this week than last, but only...
...reason for the caution was that U.S. installations and personnel remain vulnerable to mob attack, as was demonstrated so visibly once again last week in Libya. Spurred on by pro-Khomeini slogans from sound trucks, 2,000 demonstrators stormed the U.S. embassy in Tripoli. While all 15 Americans escaped through a side exit, the crowd set fires that heavily damaged the embassy's first floor. The U.S. has rejected Libya's apology as inadequate, and suspended embassy operations-a step just short of breaking diplomatic relations. The State Department complained that the Libyan government had ignored repeated American...
With the referendum behind him, the next step for Khomeini was to name the members of his new government. But this process was suddenly interrupted by the revolt of the Azerbaijani Turks, who follow the leadership of Iran's second most powerful ayatullah, Sharietmadari. They number about 13 million out of Iran's total population of 35 million, and have long sought autonomy. When Sharietmadari expressed mild reservations about the new constitution-he wanted some checks on Khomeini's power-and said that he would boycott the polls, most of his followers in Azerbaijjrfi followed suit...
...days after the referendum, trouble broke out in Qum, where Khomeini, Sharietmadari and most of Iran's top Shi'ite leaders live. Several hundred Khomeini supporters gathered in the bazaar, shouting slogans against Sharietmadari, and then marched on his house. Among them were young men in black shirts, beating themselves with chain flails-the traditional Shi'ite expression of penitence...