The return of Imam Khomeini to Tehran after fifteen years in exile

Imam Khomeini's historic speech outlining the state of affairs of the course of the Revolution

We should thank all the strata of the society for bringing this victory up to this stage by means of their unanimity. We should all understand that the secret of this victory is the unanimity among Muslims- all of them-, the unanimity of religious minorities with the Muslims, the solidarity of universities and educational schools, the solidarity of the clergy and the political factions.

Gorbachev’s response to Imam Khomeini:

''Your message has deep concerns about the fate of mankind''

On January 4th 1989 Imam Khomeini’s message was delivered to Gorbachev by his selected delegations who were Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, Mohammad Javad Larijani and Mrs. Marzieh Hadidehchi Dabbaq. Eight weeks later Gorbachev delivered his response to Imam Khomeini by the then Soviet foreign minister, Edward Shevardnadze in Tehran. Gorbachev saw a great value to Imam’s message in his response, but it was clear that he had not understood the spiritual dimensions of Imam’s message. Because he had first tried to describe his activities for promoting political freedom in the Soviet Union and then he had described the achievements of a communist economic from 1917 till now. In the meeting between Eduard Shevardnadze, those days Soviet foreign minister, and Imam Khomeini, Ali Akbar Velayati, those days Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Larijani, deputy of the foreign minister and a member of the delegation, and Alireza Nobari, then the Iranian ambassador to the Soviet Union were also present.

The Imam’s entrance into Iran

Residence in Tehran