The moment
Mass protests drove Mohammad Reza Shah from Iran on 16 January 1979; Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile on 1 February, and on 11 February the army stood aside. A referendum approved an Islamic Republic, and a new constitution made Khomeini its leader under the doctrine of guardianship of the jurist.
People: Ruhollah Khomeini, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi