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The Story of Notre Dame


America - Europe

A Transatlantic Diary 1961 - 1989

Klaus Lanzinger


South Bend, January 2, 1979

The Civil War in Iran

The events in Iran are moving in the direction of a dramatic solution. Just a year after President Carter had been given a reception with all the splendor of the imperial palace and Iran had been praised as an island of stability, the country plunged into a civil war. The oil refineries are standing still by a strike and bloody battles are being fought on the streets of Tehran between government troops and demonstrators. Will the Shah resign and leave the country? Will a democratic parliamentary form of government be able to succeed? Foreigners stationed in Iran are leaving the country in a hurry.

January 16, 1979

The Deserted Peacock Throne

Today, Reza Shah Pahlavi left Iran most likely forever. The situation in Iran remains uncertain: Can the civilian government succeed, will there be a coup by the military, or will the civil war escalate and the Islamic republic be realized? In any case, the West seems to lose a rock in the global game of chess.


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