Tehran – On February 8, 1979, a group of air force commanders of the Shah government went to Imam Khomeini’s residence and pledged allegiance to him, and announced that they were participating in a widespread revolutionary movement. .
Many Iranian Air Force personnel, known as “Homafaran,” took specialized courses in the United States, including electronics and mechanics, prior to the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Previously, he even visited Imam Khomeini’s residence while in exile in Neahur-le-Chateau, a suburb of Paris, but when he returned to the country he was arrested and exiled.
However, on that particular day in the winter, these groups of air force staff secretly went to the temporary residence of Imam Khomeini at Alawi School in eastern Tehran.
The staff reportedly wore casual clothes on their way to Alawi school, avoiding the Imperial security guards and returned to their uniforms once inside the school. They went in turn and participated in a meeting with the Imam. They pledged loyalty to the revolution and a very popular leader in the communica- tions he read out loud.
During the meeting, a security check was carried out to prevent photography due to a threat to Homafaran. However, Hossein Partovi, a photographer of the Tehran-based Kayhan newspaper, was allowed to take photos from behind the army to protect Homafaran’s identity from the oppressive Shah regime.
Imam’s remarks at the meeting:
In a short speech, Imam Khomeini thanked the Air Force officials and called them the only living Shia Imam soldiers in the 12th. He expressed his gratitude to the efforts made by Air Force and Army officials towards establishing an Islamic government.
“As you have declared up until now, you provided a tughoot that demimed our whole existence. Mahdi, may the peace of God lead to him, and the happiness of all humanity The glorious Quran. Banner.
“We want to free the country and cleanse it from all oppression. We want the military to be freed from control by Israel or America,” adds Imam Khomeini. I did.
Within their communicature, Air Force staff hope that the remaining staff still serving in the Shah government’s military will follow in their footsteps, understand their duties and join the country. They were hoping to be free and to independence of their beloved nations.
The pledge of loyalty of the Air Force staff occurred just three days before the victory of the Islamic Revolution. It greatly accelerated subsequent events, particularly the declaration of neutrality of the Army and ultimately opposed to the interim Shapur Bhaktia regime.
After the meeting:
Following Kayhan newspaper’s frontline reporting of the afternoon meeting, “Air Force officials have pledged their loyalty to Imam Khomeini,” the final Shahpour Bakhtiar, Prime Minister of Shahpour Bakhtiar, will deny that it happened. And
Kayhan also published photos from the meeting depicting a group of Homafaran dressed in uniform at the Imam residence. However, the photos showed the backs of the army to protect their identity. The Bakhtiar administration declared the photograph a “montage” and issued an arrest warrant to the photographer. However, Imam Khomeini later confirmed the meeting, making it impossible to deny it.
Imam Khomeini then issued a warning, spurring public awareness of the Pahlavi regime, but he felt he was trying to regain his power. On February 10, the day before the final victory of the revolution, the loyalty of the Pahlavi regime planned a military coup by declaring martial law, but failed due to the vigilance of the Imam and the people.
Sporadic armed conflicts broke out, especially in eastern Tehran, with rebels overwhelmed the dependence of armed citizens (who seized barracks and ammunition depots) and loyal loyalists in the Shah and between rebels.
The Iranian Air Force, along with Army personnel, played a key role in the ultimate victory over the dictatorship.
The day Homafaran met Imam Khomeini was later marked as Air Force Day in the Iranian calendar.
On one of the anniversary of this historic conference, Ayatollah Seiyed Ali Khamenei, the current leader of the Islamic Revolution, stated, “What the Air Force did in 1979 was a hopeful look for the future.” He said it was an initiative to move forward and a timely action.”