The disappointment of western analysts after Imam Khomeini passed away

Irdc.ir: Since the Islamic revolution, 3 incidents related to choosing the leader has happened. First of all was the enforcement of the law of "The rule of Jurisprudent", by the Council of Experts and by vote of people in December 1979. The second one, was choosing Ayatollah Montazeri as the deputy leader in November 1985, and then his disqualification by order of Imam in April 1989, and in the end, accepting his resignation by Imam and the Council of Experts. The third incident was Ayatollah Khamenei chosen as the leader by the Council of Experts in June 1989.

The severe illness and hospitalization of Imam in Tehran Heart ‌Center, brought the Experts to the thought of choosing a deputy for him. Hashemi Rafsanjani explains it as: "We had thought about this issue, in case that - God forbid - something happens to Imam, the country would not suffer. You know that he was so sick, that every time we called to ask about his situation, we were afraid to hear bad news. So it was so important for us to choose his deputy, to show enemies that it was impossible for them to conspire.

One of the important decisions of Imam in his last years of living, was dissmissing Ayatollah Montazeri from the position of "deputu leader". The authorities and Imam's family had heard about his disqualification since the incidents of April 1989, and were worried about his replacement.

Imam had always been the one who authorities went to, to solve their problems and clarify their doubts. He mentioned Ayatollah Khamenei as the next leader of Islamic Republic on his last years. This was a gauarantee to keep revolution on its right path, and give directions to the experts for their choice. On October 1988, six months before Ayatollah Montazeri was dissmissed, there was a meeting between the heads of the forces, the prime minister and Haj Ahmad Khomeini. Hashemi Rafsanjani, then head of the parliament, narrates the meeting as: "We were with Imam in a meeting, there were also the heads of the forces and Haj Ahamd. It was the time when about the tensions around the consequences of the disqualification of Ayatollah Montazeri. We were worried that we will face problems in chosing a leader. Imam didn't like the idea of "the Council of Leadership" that much, and we believed that we do not have a person to replace him right now. We were thinking about the issues of Marajiat and such things. Imam responded: Yes we do have a person. Ayatollah Khamenei! "

Imam mentioned Ayatollah Khamenei's name repeatedly among his relatives. Mrs. Zahra Mostafavi, sent a message to Iranians about Imam's idea about the leadership of Ayatollah Khamenei:" Long before the disqualification of the deputy, I personally asked Imam about the next leader and he mentioned Ayatollah Khamenei".

The Islamic Revolution, based on its three pillars: Idealogy, Leadership and Poeple, has progressed from theory to action since 1979 in Iran. Imam Khomeini rescued Islamic Iran from collusions and crises such as civil wars, ethnic wars, liberalism and etc. 1988 was a land mark in history of revolution. Imam passed away, so the debates about his replacement begun. In Council of Experts, after long discussions, Ayatollah Khamenei was chosen as the next leader against his own will, to protect the Islamic Republic, and for it to keep going forward in the path of the Rule of Jurisprudent. 

The colonial system had prepared themselves to celebrate their success in taking down Islamic Republic after Imam Khomeini. Lack of a leader, chaos in the borders, the volnereble national security and the big shock people were in, all had prepared a great context for enemies. But the surprising decision of the Experts turned the table, and a new era began for Islamic revolution.