Role of Military in 1953 and 1979

Military in the 1953 coup

Under Zahedi, pro-Shah forces raided Radio Tehran to announce the overthrow; Mossadeq fled after a tank fired a single shell into his house, but gave himself up to prevent further clashes

The 'blessed day'

The Shah praised the officer corps for saving the country in 1953 on the "blessed day" of August 19, making it a national holiday

Military spending as Western profiteering

The budget grew 12-fold between 1954-77, from $60 million to $7.3 billion; arms dealers joked that the Shah devoured manuals like men read Playboy

Iran's military scale

The largest navy in the Persian Gulf, largest air force in Western Asia, and 5th largest army in the world; a May 1972 Intelligence Memorandum confirmed Tehran received $1.4 billion in arms in the previous 5 years, and 7 AWACS planes worth $1.2 billion were sent in 1977

Khomeini's 1964 SOFA speech

On the $200 million arms deal: "Iran has sold itself to obtain these dollars!" and "They have reduced the Iranian people to a level lower than that of an American dog"

Military brutality creating opposition

7 January 1978: 70 killed and 500 wounded in Qom when 4,000 protestors demanded an apology; 8 September 1978 Black Friday: martial law declared, and the military killed 84 in Jaleh Square

Desertions begin

11 December - a dozen officers were shot dead by their own troops at Tehran's Lavizan barracks

Mass desertions

1,200 a day by the second week of February 1979, with revolutionaries providing deserters clothes and travel expenses home; 800 air force technicians from Homafaran (the aircraft servicing organisation) deserted in the second half of January

The military joins the people

1 February - Khomeini urged the armed forces to join the people; the most senior US military advisor, General Huyser, left on 3 February