Iran’s Islamic Revolution shook the world in 1979, with currents that continue to be felt today. Decades later, the details of this watershed event—which redrew the geopolitical order in many ways—are worth recalling. On the eve of the revolution’s 40th anniversary, we here at Brookings have put together a timeline featuring key events that led to the fall of the Pahlavi dynasty and the rise of the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian Revolution—A timeline of events

Journalists, intellectuals, lawyers, and political activists publish a series of open letters criticizing the accumulation of power at the hands of the Shah.

On a brief visit to Iran, President Jimmy Carter toasts the Shah, describing Iran as “an island of stability in one of the most troubled areas of the world.”

During a visit to Washington, the Shah’s welcome at the White House is disrupted by protests by Iranian students (as well as the tear gas used by police to quash the protests.)

Mostafa Khomeini, the eldest son of exiled cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, dies of unknown causes at age 47 in Najaf, Iraq. The elder Khomeini has lived in exile since 1963, when he was arrested for leading protests against the Shah’s modernization program.

A 10-night poetry festival organized by the Iranian writers’ association at the Goethe Institute in Tehran attracts thousands of participants for lectures criticizing the government.

The arrest of a cleric provokes riots in Isfahan, which quickly spread to Shiraz, Qazvin, Tabriz, Abadan, and Ahwaz. The Shiraz Art Festival is cancelled and an estimated 100 are killed. Martial law is declared in Isfahan.

Protests erupt in Mashhad after the death of a cleric in a road accident; a number of people were killed in the upheaval there and elsewhere.

The Shah replaces General Nematollah Nassiri, the head of SAVAK; one of his successor’s first moves was to order the release of 300 detained clerics.

The cycle of protests, repression, violence, and mourning continues in three dozen Iranian cities.

Consistent with Shia tradition, mourning ceremonies are held in cities across Iran on the fortieth day following the death of the Qom protestors. A student protestor is killed in Tabriz, provoking riots and further violence.

The main bazaar in Qom, where Iran’s largest seminaries are based, closes to protest the defamation of Khomeini. Several thousand protestors attacks symbols of the monarchy; security forces kill at least five people.

Iranian newspaper Ettela’at publishes a front-page editorial disparaging Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, reportedly written by the royal court at the directive of the Shah.

August 19 477 Iranians die in a deliberately set fire at Cinema Rex in Abadan. The opposition blames SAVAK; after the revolution, an Islamist confessed and was prosecuted for the arson.

August 27 Prime Minister Jamshid Amouzegar resigns; his successor, Jafar Sharif-Emami, undertakes reforms intended to assuage.

September 8 On the morning after the Shah declared martial law, security forces fire on a large protest in Tehran’s Jaleh Square. At least 100 were killed and the event became known as “Black Friday.”

October 3 At the Shah’s behest, the Iraqi government deports Khomeini. After he is denied entry to Kuwait, Khomeini travels to France and settles in Neuphle-le-Chateau, a Parisian suburb, where he benefits from far greater media access and attention.

November 6 Days after protests swell in Tehran on a religious holiday, efforts to broker a national unity government with the opposition collapse, thanks to Khomeini’s defiance. Prime Minister Sharif-Emami resigns, succeeded by Gen. Gholamreza Azhari. The Shah broadcast on national television a promise not to repeat past mistakes and to make amends saying, “I heard the voice of your revolution…As Shah of Iran as well as an Iranian citizen, I cannot but approve your revolution.”

December 6 Only a week after he publicly reaffirmed U.S. support for and “confidence in” the Shah, President Jimmy Carter publicly hedges in press statements, noting that “We personally prefer that the Shah maintain a major role, but that is a decision for the Iranian people to make.”

December 10-11 Millions of Iranians protest all over the country demanding the removal of the Shah and return of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

December 29 The Shah appoints Shapour Bakhtiar as prime minister. A long-time nationalist politician and vocal critic of the Shah, he is confirmed by the parliament two weeks later.

1979