This article is a timeline of events relevant to the Islamic Revolution in Iran. For earlier events refer to Pahlavi dynasty and for later ones refer to History of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This article doesn't include the reasons of the events and further information is available in Islamic revolution of Iran.
Prelude 1905: Constitutional Revolution of Iran. Persian Constitution of 1906 is enacted, transforming the Qajar dynasty into a constitutional monarchy. May 1908: A British expedition discovers oil at the Masjed Soleyman oil field in southern Persia.https://www.bp.com/about-us/who-we-are/our-history July 1914: As the Burmah Oil faces near-bankruptcy due to managerial incompetence, the British government, spearheaded by Winston Churchill, purchases a majority stake in its Iranian subsidiary, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC).https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1914/jul/07/anglo-persian-oil-company-acquisition-of-1 1914–1918: Persian Campaign. Although the Qajar dynasty declares neutrality in World War I, the country is occupied by British and Russian forces, turning into a battlefield against the Ottoman Empire. Following the collapse of the Russian Empire, Britain utilizes Persia as a transit route to support the White Army, prompting retaliatory Soviet incursions and pillaging. As a result, approximately two million people — 20% of the Persian population — perish from famine and disease, resulting in a higher mortality rate than any official combatant nations in World War I. December 15, 1925: Reza Khan, the commander of the Persian Cossack Brigade, deposes the Qajar dynasty and establishes the Pahlavi dynasty.https://www.britannica.com/place/Iran/Rise-of-Reza-Khan
1930s April 29, 1933: An oil concession renegotiation agreement is signed between Persia and Britain (APOC). While slightly increasing Persia's share of revenues, the agreement extends Britain's exclusive monopoly rights for an additional 60 years, laying the groundwork for the oil nationalization movement of the 1950s. March 21, 1935: Reza Shah Pahlavi officially changes the international name of the country from Persia to Iran. August 1935: Goharshad Mosque rebellion. January 8 1936: Implementation of Kashf-e hijab (unveiling decree). 1939: Mahmoud Taleghani is arrested for the first time due to anti-government activities, including protest to ban on hijab.https://navideshahed.com/en/news/69324/demise-of-ayatollah-taleghani
1940s August–September 1941: World War II allies Britain and Soviet Union invade Iran to secure railway to supply Soviet Union. They depose Reza Shah whom they consider too sympathetic to the Germany, and they exile him to South Africa. His son Mohammad Reza becomes the new Pahlavi Shah of Iran. October 2, 1941: Foundation of the Tudeh Party of Iran, a Marxist-Leninist political party. November 30, 1943: The Tehran Conference commences. Seeking to escape British influence, the Shah pleads for a meeting with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, managing to secure a brief ten-minute audience during a recess, though Roosevelt remains dismissive.Anderson, Scott, King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation. Doubleday, New York 2025, . 1946: Iran crisis. Joseph Stalin refuses to withdraw occupying forces from Iranian Azerbaijan and demands oil concessions. This marks the first major fracture among the World War II Allies — the USA, the UK, and the Soviet Union — signaling the onset of the Cold War.https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1946v07/ch11 Meanwhile, the Tudeh Party sides with the Soviet Union. March 11, 1946: Emergence of the Islamic fundamentalist terrorist group Fada'iyan-e Islam, which assassinates secularist historian and theologian Ahmad Kasravi. October 22, 1947: Following the withdrawal of Soviet forces, the Iranian Parliament rejects the ratification of the Soviet-Iranian oil agreement by a vote of 102 to 2.https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1947v05/d685 January 1948: More than 100 leaders and prominent members including Jalal Al-e-Ahmad and Khalil Maleki, disillusioned with the Tudeh Party, defect from the party and establish the Third Force. February 4, 1949: Assassination attempt on the Shah during his visit to Tehran University. The regime blames the Tudeh Party, leading to the party being banned and forced underground.https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1949v06/d268 November 12, 1949: Foundation of the National Front of Iran, a broad-based coalition advocating for oil nationalization.
1950s
1950–1951: Borujerdi-Safavi discord. Grand Ayatollah Hossein Borujerdi, the supreme authority of the all Shi'a world, denounces the actions of Fada'iyan-e Islam as mere banditry and expels them from Qom seminary. In response, Navvab Safavi incites campaigns to defrock Borujerdi and his loyalist clerics. While Ruhollah Khomeini sympathized with Safavi's Islamic extremism, his inability to defy his Grand Master kept him silent as he discreetly attempted to mediate behind the scenes. March 7, 1951: Prime Minister Ali Razmara, who had spoken against oil nationalization, is assassinated by Fada'iyan-e Islam. March 15, 1951: Parliament passes the bill to nationalize the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC).Abrahamian, Ervand, Iran between two revolutions, Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, 1982. April 1951: Cabinet of Mohammad Mossaddegh is formed.Mackey, Sandra, The Iranians : Persia, Islam and the soul of a nation, New York : Dutton, 1996, pp.187–210 May 1, 1951: Expropriation of AIOC assets begins, sparking the Abadan Crisis.Kinzer, Stephen, All the Shah's Men : An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror, Stephen Kinzer, John Wiley and Sons, 2003 July 1952: Following the fall of the first Mossaddegh cabinet, a popular uprising erupts, leading to the formation of the second Mossaddegh cabinet. The Shah is stripped of his authority to appoint the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff of the Army, effectively losing all practical power. August 8, 1952: Ayatollah Abol-Ghasem Kashani, a supporter of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossaddegh, and protector of Fada'iyan-e Islam, is elected as the 14th Speaker of the Majlis. Octoboer 1952: Relations sour between Ayatollah Kashani and Prime Minister Mossaddegh. Kashani colludes with General Fazlollah Zahedi to plot a coup d'état. However, the Senate is dissolved by the Majlis, causing General Zahedi to lose his parliamentary immunity as a senator and be forced into hiding. The prospects of a British-backed coup are thwarted. January 2, 1953: Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Borqai, a pro-leftist cleric and member of the Tudeh Party's front organization, Jamiyate Havadaran-e Solh (Association of Peace Supporters), returns to Iran after attending the International Peace Conference in Vienna. Demonstrators organized by anti-Mossaddegh conspirators assemble in Qom, welcoming Borqei with the slogan "Death to Islam, the Quran, and Ayatollah Borujerdi" — a false-flag operation designed to drive a wedge between Mossaddegh and the clergies. Enraged by the news, Fada'iyan-e Islam students rush to the scene and engage in bloody clashes with the demonstrators. In response, Grand Ayatollah Borujerdi tasks Ruhollah Khomeini with investigating the incident, handling the press response, and filing lawsuits.https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/fedaian-e-esla/ February 28, 1953: 9 Esfand coup attempt. Ayatollah Kashani mobilizes large-scale pro-Shah royalist demonstrations. Shaban Jafari, a notorious mob boss, rams a jeep through the front gate of Mossaddegh's residence. Mossaddegh flees in his pajamas. March 1953: Dwight D. Eisenhower administration resolves to orchestrate a coup d'état to depose Mohammad Mossaddegh.Mohammad Mosaddeq and the 1953 Coup in Iran, Edited by Mark J. Gasiorowski and Malcolm Byrne, Syracuse University Press, 2004. April 4, 1953: A sum of one million dollars in is delivered to the CIA Tehran station for the ouster of Mossaddegh. June 25, 1953: The detailed plan for the coup is presented at the United States Department of State. The launch of Operation Ajax is unanimously approved.George Lenczowski, American Presidents and the Middle East, (1990). August 1953: Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, who had resisted for months despite British and American calls for him to dismiss Prime Minister Mohammed Mossaddegh, gets nervous about the popular nationalist prime minister's designs when Mossadegh dissolved the parliamentNew York Times, July 14, 20 and began rule by decree. August 15, 1953: The Shah dismisses Mossaddegh as prime minister. Meanwhile, TPMO, a secret Tudeh military wing infiltrated within the armed forces, detects the coup plot and provides intelligence to Mossaddegh. Anticipating the coup, Mossaddegh refuses to step down and instead arrests colonel Nematollah Nassiri, the royal messenger delivering the dismissal order. August 16, 1953: In a panic, the Shah flees to Italy. August 17, 1953: Emboldened by the situation, the Tudeh Party demands the abolition of the monarchy and the proclamation of a republic, pressuring the Mossaddegh cabinet, but is subsequently suppressed by Mossaddegh utilizing military and police forces.
August 19, 1953: The actual coup d'état takes place, leading to the overthrow of Mossaddegh. The Tudeh Party's overt organization is decimated, and its leadership flees into exile abroad, effectively neutralizing the party. This coup marks the first direct U.S. intervention in Iranian politics, launching deep American involvement and sealing the Shah's image as an American puppet. August 22, 1953: The Shah returns to Iran and proclaims this day as the "National Resurrection Day." September 26, 1953: A sum of 1,000 USD, followed by an additional 500 USD a week later, is delivered to Ayatollah Mohammad Behbahani. Behbahani was a key figure who accepted American slush funds during the chaos of the second Mossaddegh cabinet, and distributed money to anti-Mossaddegh factions to destabilize the society. December 3–9, 1953: An international Islamist conference organized by the Muslim Brotherhood is held in Jordanian-controlled East Jerusalem. From Iran, Navvab Safavi, the founder of Fada'iyan-e Islam, attends and meets Sayyid Qutb.https://strategiecs.com/en/analyses/iran-and-the-muslim-brotherhood-ideological-similarities-and-historical-relationshttps://global-watch-analysis.com/en/de-sayyid-qutb-a-khomeini-comment-les-freres-musulmans-ont-inspire-lislam-politique-chiite-des-mollahs-iraniens/ Safavi maintained a highly close relationship with Ruhollah Khomeini. 1954: First edition of Mahmoud Taleghani's book Islam and Ownership is published. November 17 1955: Fada'iyan-e Islam attempts to assassinate Prime Minister Hossein Ala', but the attempt fails. Late November 1955: Mahmoud Taleghani is arrested on charges of harboring Navvab Safavi. March 12, 1957: Foundation of the secret police SAVAK with the assistance of CIA advisors, marking the beginning of systemic surveillance and intensified political terror.
1960s July–August 1960: Parliamentary general elections. Following mass protests by the opposition and the public exposing widespread electoral fraud, the Shah invalidates the election results and dissolves the parliament.