"Halt! Who are you?" two sentries on duty at the entrance of the government hall shouted.
"Revolutionary Guard, don't you know?" a man with the rank of lieutenant replied coldly. "We are carrying out the orders of the Supreme Spiritual Leader; you have no right to interfere."
With that, he strode inside with a swagger.
One sentry wanted to stop them; this was the headquarters of the Chairman of the Supreme Defense Council—how could they dare to be so insolent?
But the other sentry immediately stopped him with a look.
Watching a platoon of Revolutionary Guards enter the government building with their heads held high, the sentries were furious but helpless.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is a special branch of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is independent of the regular army and is considered a regular military force alongside the Iranian military. However, compared to the regular army, its presence is simply overbearing.
Khomeini did not trust the army. Thus, when the Pahlavi rule was overthrown in '79 and Khomeini took over the military, he did not hesitate to conduct a massive purge. A large number of experienced grassroots officers were purged, which was why the Iraqi army was able to drive straight in during the early stages of the war. Furthermore, 'Mullahs' (Iranian clerics) were dispatched to the army to reform the old military with Islamic ideology, becoming the 'spiritual' commanders of the military personnel.
In addition to purging this army of questionable loyalty, Khomeini formed another armed force outside the military: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The predecessor of this force consisted of various paramilitary groups opposing the Pahlavi regime, urban proletarians who fanatically supported Khomeini, and youths from remote towns. This army was loyal only to the Supreme Spiritual Leader: Khomeini.
Therefore, in Iran, the status of this army was practically above all others. Offending even a common soldier from this force would result in the harshest retaliation.
They had received instructions from Khomeini and arrived in Ahvaz to arrest Abolhassan, who had committed serious dereliction of duty while commanding the army!
Khomeini had finally decided to make a move against this former comrade-in-arms.
Khomeini was never soft-hearted toward his enemies. Although Abolhassan, like himself, opposed the Pahlavi dynasty and had even fought alongside him, eventually becoming the first President of Iran, he did not support Khomeini. Especially after radical students occupied the US Embassy and the famous Iran Hostage Crisis occurred, Abolhassan did not support the action. He actually didn't want to extradite the monstrous Pahlavi back to the country? From then on, a deep rift formed between Khomeini and Abolhassan.
Abolhassan advocated for the separation of church and state, which further alerted Khomeini.
And Abolhassan had actually gone behind his back to secretly plant confidants in the army, especially in the currently defeated armored division, whose commander, Rajavi, was very close to Abolhassan. Wanting air support? Wanting this armored division to achieve great military exploits? Don't even think about it!
Now that this army had finally been defeated, it gave Khomeini an opportunity—an opportunity to completely drive him out of power. It wasn't that he wasn't showing respect; it was simply that their paths were different, so they could not work together.
The Iranian Parliament had already impeached Abolhassan in his absence. At this moment, Abolhassan had become a criminal, and they needed to bring him back to Tehran for trial.
"This is the underground command center; no unauthorized entry!" shouted a staff officer who had just stepped out, seeing dozens of Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers entering with live ammunition.
"The Revolutionary Guard is executing the orders of Leader Khomeini! Anyone who dares to resist shall be killed!" the leading lieutenant finished speaking as several men already had their guns pressed against the staff officer's jaw.
The Revolutionary Guard—how arrogant!
Seeing this, the few soldiers present did not dare to make a sound. The Revolutionary Guard was an entity no one dared to provoke, especially now; the slightest mistake could lead to being labeled a traitor, and even one's family would be implicated.
They marched aggressively into the underground command center and found the target of their arrest in the conference room: Abolhassan Banisadr.
At this time, Abolhassan was studying the battle situation on a map. Although the armored division's offensive had failed, the attention of the Iraqi Southern Military Region had been successfully diverted by him, which was very beneficial for the implementation of the next phase of the plan.
"Abolhassan, you are under arrest," the Revolutionary Guard lieutenant said loudly.
Abolhassan looked up and saw these soldiers in Revolutionary Guard uniforms pointing guns at him. He knew that Khomeini had finally decided to move against him; this unit was Khomeini's personal guard.
He sneered, "I am the President elected by the Iranian people. Even now, my term is not over. What right do you have to arrest me?"
His voice was filled with anger. The gap between the ideals of the revolution and reality was truly too vast. He wanted to bring democracy to this country, but unfortunately, the temptation of power was too great. Former comrades-in-arms had now become enemies.
Even more ridiculous, until now, he was still doing his best for Iran.
"The Parliament has already impeached you, and our Supreme Leader Khomeini has signed the warrant for your arrest. Due to your incompetence, which led to the total annihilation of an armored division, you are no longer the President," the lieutenant said devoid of emotion.
"Impeached? Who presided over the Parliament? Khomeini signed it? What right does he have to sign? I am the President; if anyone is to sign, it should be me!" Abolhassan roared.
None of the commanders present dared to speak. The military was already under Khomeini's suspicion. If they expressed their views and supported Abolhassan at this time, their entire families might be purged by the fanatical Revolutionary Guard. One must know that just last year, fifteen thousand women gathered in Tehran to protest the government's decree that women must wear headscarves in public. It was these members of the Revolutionary Guard who went to disperse the assembly, and the result was a bloodbath.
Feeling a sense of shared sorrow, they—who were at least major generals—were being pointed at with guns by a lieutenant of the Revolutionary Guard, yet no one dared to speak.
Hearing Abolhassan's dissatisfaction with their leader Khomeini, the lieutenant immediately flew into a rage and struck Abolhassan's forehead hard with his pistol. Instantly, blood began to flow.
"Take him away!" the lieutenant said to the soldiers behind him. "No one shall insult our Great Leader!"
The soldiers came forward and tied Abolhassan up with ropes.
How did this country become like this? How could theocracy override the will of the state? Abolhassan felt a sense of sorrow. His arms were numb from being tied, but his mind was exceptionally clear.
"Stop! Let him go!" Suddenly, a loud shout came from the doorway. Along with the voice, the other officers saw a tall figure standing there.