When news of the Shah’s departure was announced, there were spontaneous scenes of joy throughout the country. Millions poured onto the streets, and virtually every remaining sign of the monarchy was torn down by the crowds. Bakhtiar dissolved SAVAK and freed all remaining political prisoners.
He ordered the army to allow mass demonstrations, promised free elections and invited the revolutionaries into a government of “national unity”.Bakhtiar invited Khomeini back to Iran, with the intention of creating a Vatican-like state in the holy city of Qom, declaring that “We will soon have the honor of welcoming home the Ayatollah Khomeini”.
