3. Authorities & decisions: Iran’s revolution and the Islamic Republic

Decision-makers, laws and consequences

Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi left Iran in January 1979. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned in February, and a referendum established the Islamic Republic in April. A new constitution gave a supreme religious leader extensive authority.

Revolutionary courts, security institutions and later elected bodies operated within this constitutional structure. The Iran–Iraq War began in 1980 after Iraq’s invasion and imposed enormous losses on both countries.

Institutional consequences

The authorities identified above acted within institutions that determined who could govern, enforce decisions and challenge official power. The resulting changes to political participation, legal status, military control or property administration are part of the historical record of this specific event, rather than evidence that every later government followed the same path.

Legal restrictions, rights & enforcement

Compare who exercised authority, whether opponents could organize independently, how the government handled economic and social demands, and whether neighboring populations were exposed to invasion or coercion. The record above describes this particular case rather than treating every movement with a similar label as identical.