London- Recently declassified documents revealed that Washington had shown undue leniency to the Ayatollah Khomeini scheme and mission of the Wilayat al-Faqih, otherwise known as the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist.
At the peak of negotiations, Khomeini requested that the Carter administration interfere to take down former Prime Minister Shapour Bakhtiar’s government, in addition to forcing the army to surrender. Khomeini’s demands were made four days before leaving Paris for Tehran, the documents revealed.
The declassified documents made details on the Carter- Khomeini relationship clearer. The U.S. administration lent a hand to Khomeini after confirming that he is cooperative.
Support given to Khomeini came after the U.S. decision was taken on removing Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, also known by Shah, from rule.
U.S. officials considered that the mullah-army combination is a proper formula for establishing rule in Iran.
Bakhtiar was seemingly supported by the U.S., however, things were different behind closed doors.
What the U.S. was cooking in Tehran, in line with the Paris efforts on preparing a new thrown for Khomeini to rise, prove that Bakhtiar was out of the game.
Carter’s missionaries in Tehran were focused on directing the negotiations between army generals and Khomeini representatives solely and no other opposition members.
Washington had already tacitly agreed to a key part of Khomeini’s requests by telling the military leaders to stay aside.
On 29 January, Prime Minister Bakhtiar, under enormous local pressure, opened the Iranian airspace to Khomeini’s return.
“This might make him more reasonable or at least less involved in political affairs,” he told the American ambassador, two weeks before being swept away by the Khomeini wave.
Two days before the ayatollah’s arrival, the Shah’s top commander had given specific insurances to Khomeini representatives that the military in principle was no longer opposed to political changes, including in “the cabinet”.
“Even changes in the constitution would be acceptable if done in accordance with constitutional law,” the US embassy was told by a reliable source in the Khomeini camp, BBC reported.