THE Anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, known as 22 Bahman, is celebrated annually on February 11th to mark the 1979 downfall of the Pahlavi dynasty and the establishment of an Islamic republic. It features nationwide rallies with missile displays and speeches emphasising resistance against foreign pressure.
It commemorates the finale of the 1979 Revolution when the monarchy was toppled and the return of Ayatollah Khomeini from exile. The event is a display of unity and solidarity for the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the revolutionary state.
The Western media underplays this commemoration from a standpoint of ideological superiority, downplaying events, achievements, or tragedies in countries that reject Western media practices where events demonise or delegitimise the ‘other’.
Western outlets frequently prioritise negative news, fitting a long-standing stereotype of certain regions. Coverage is often shaped by whether the event serves the geopolitical interests of Western nations. News is often “domesticated” or framed through a lens that prioritises Western, Eurocentric perspectives, resulting in less coverage for events, cultures, or histories deemed less relevant to a Western audience.
The Shah of Iran’s regime (1953–1979) was an authoritarian monarchy that heavily utilised the SAVAK secret police to suppress dissent through surveillance, torture, and executions. Established with CIA assistance, SAVAK was known for brutal interrogation methods, which cultivated widespread public resentment and contributed to the 1979 Revolution to suppress political opponents, communists, and religious critics. SAVAK created a climate of fear, directly contributing to the popular, yet fragmented, opposition that eventually empowered the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The regime, particularly after 1963, focused on forced modernisation (the White Revolution), which, when combined with repressive policies, alienated clergy and traditional sectors of society. The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran was a “total revolution” that profoundly transformed Iranian society, replacing a pro-Western, secular-leaning monarchy with an anti-Western Islamic Republic based on the concept of velayat-e faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists). The revolution, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, brought about sweeping changes aimed at breaking foreign domination and reordering society around Islamic values.
The revolution successfully ended 2,500 years of monarchy and removed influences, particularly that of the United States and the United Kingdom, which dominated Iranian policy after the 1953 coup. It established a new, independent state based on Islamic principles, rejecting both Western capitalist and Soviet communist models.
The revolution triggered an “Islamic awakening” that increased political and social participation among the masses, including in rural areas. The government prioritised the spread of education, leading to significant increases in literacy rates, especially for women and the poor in rural areas. The revolution shifted resources and attention toward the poor and marginalised, reversing the inequality of the Shah’s era. Severe economic sanctions and arms embargoes forced Iran to develop its own domestic technical capabilities. This led to advancements in manufacturing (steel, cement), nanotechnology, aerospace, and significant progress in medical science, such as stem cell research.
In the aftermath of the 1980/1988 Iraq-Iran War, Iran developed a robust, independent military industrial complex with the capacity to produce its own missiles, tanks, and submarines, to deter foreign intervention.
The revolution transformed the public sphere, replaced Westernised cultural influences with traditional Islamic values, and became a positive return to Iranian cultural roots, and a rejection of ‘Westoxification’.
The revolution set hijab regulations, but accelerated the active presence of women in the public sphere, education, and political rallies, moving them from a passive role in the home to a more active role in society.
The revolution was, at its core, an attempt to replace a pre-Islamic ignorant society with a pious society, aiming to achieve Islamic sovereignty. Western objections to the 1979 Iranian Revolution centred on the dismantling of the secular, in favour of an anti-Western theocratic state, with Khomeini condemning the Shah as a puppet of foreign powers.
The rapid replacement of a secular, westernised monarchy with a theocratic Islamic Republic led by Ayatollah Khomeini was viewed with alarm. Western observers claimed that while the revolution began with a broad coalition, it quickly thinned to systematically suppress moderate, liberal, and leftist allies. The new leadership, led by Khomeini, rejected the “White Revolution” as “subordinate modernisation” and opposed Western-aligned policies, including the alliance with Israel.
Perhaps the most telling of objections to the revolution was that after the fall of the Shah, Western geopolitical interests in the Persian Gulf region were disrupted. Western objections are held by critics as anti-imperialist, anti-Western ideology. This perspective emphasises a historical context of Western intervention.
This view argues that Western objections are rooted in a desire to maintain control over Iran’s resources, particularly oil, which was challenged by the 1953 CIA-backed coup and the subsequent overthrow of the Shah. The Revolution was a sovereign response to the “forced westernisation” and “cultural imperialism” of the Pahlavi dynasty.
Iran is now considered a major military power, with a robust ballistic missile program and drone capabilities to deter the US and Israel. Iran has advanced long-range, short-, and medium-range missiles, capable of reaching Israel. Such a conflict could cause a global economic crisis, particularly affecting oil prices. As of 2025–2026, Iran is considered a major regional power, ranked 16th globally in military strength. It relies on deterrence, focusing on massive ballistic missile stockpiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/drones), and cyber capabilities.
While Israel holds significant air superiority and the US has superior overall firepower, analysts warn that a possible war would not be a simple, short-lived, or low-cost engagement, but a high-risk conflict with severe, long-lasting consequences for all involved. Iran is now considered a major regional power.
With its vast mountainous terrain, a ground invasion is difficult. Its “Missile Cities” (underground tunnels) are designed to survive first strikes and launch retaliation. Iran has over 600,000 active-duty personnel and hundreds of thousands of reserve personnel.
Western opposition policies have not achieved their intended goals and have often strengthened the ideological resolve of the Islamic Republic.
_____________
Ranjan Solomon is a writer, researcher and activist based in Goa. He has worked in social movements since he was 19 years of age. The views expressed here are the author’s own and Clarion India does not necessarily share or subscribe to them. He can be contacted at ranjan.solomon@gmail.com
