Split At Top In Iran Forces Yawns Wider (Press, 18 July 1979)

On 18 July 1979, Brigadier-General Taqi Riahi, Iran's Defence Minister, announced his resignation amid growing tensions within the military and criticism from his chief adversary, General Siaf Amir Rahimi, the military police commander. General Rahimi accused the Iranian government of inadequately addressing the violence erupting in the country's ethnic regions, particularly among Iranians of Arab and Kurdish descent. In a telephone interview, Riahi confirmed his resignation but held back further comments until a formal government declaration. Shortly before this announcement, a government spokesman claimed that Riahi had not resigned, creating confusion surrounding the situation. Riahi's resignation followed his unsuccessful attempt to dismiss Rahimi from his position last week. Rahimi, a staunch military figure, alleged that some senior army officials were conspiring against him, aiming to undermine the revolution. Riahi's efforts to remove Rahimi were thwarted by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeiny, the de facto leader of Iran, who countermanded the dismissal. General Rahimi demanded that the Revolutionary Council and the Cabinet appoint him as the commander of military forces at the trouble-prone western borders, which had recently witnessed an alarming spike in violence. The violence was notably acute in places like Khorramshahr, where a tragic grenade attack on a packed mosque resulted in seven fatalities and over sixty injuries. In response, Iranian authorities arrested and executed five individuals alleged to be members of the Black Wednesday Arab guerrilla group, believed to be involved in the deadly attack. Additionally, Revolutionary Guards raided the residence of Sheih Taher Shobeir Khaghani, an Arab religious leader, reportedly discovering weapons there. The violence and unrest extended to other cities, where multiple executions took place. In Dezful, three men were executed for murdering anti-Shah demonstrators, and a teacher faced a firing squad for the rape of female students. Other individuals were executed in Sezful for charges of adultery and sodomy, along with a man put to death in Orumiyeh for killing anti-Shah demonstrators. The trend of executions continued with a woman executed in Kermanshah for operating brothels and a heroin trafficker executed in Isfahan. These events illustrate the increasingly volatile atmosphere in post-revolutionary Iran, marked by internal power struggles, ethnic conflicts, and a harsh approach to dissent and crime.

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