On 1 April 1974, exiled cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini publicly called for the establishment of an Islamic Republic in Iran, rejecting the secular monarchy of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
His message, disseminated through recordings and writings, fuelled growing opposition to the Shah’s rule, laying the groundwork for the Iranian Revolution.
Khomeini’s vision of a theocratic state would become reality five years later, when the monarchy was overthrown, and Iran was declared an Islamic Republic under his leadership.
