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Foreign Policy

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi leaves Iran amid revolution

On January 16, 1979, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi departed Iran into exile as revolutionary forces closed in on Tehran, effectively ending his rule.

The Shah's exile precipitated the collapse of Iran's pro-Western government, set the stage for the return of Ayatollah Khomeini, and created a major foreign-policy crisis that would confront the Carter administration.

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