THE ROLE OF THE “FREEDOM MOVEMENT OF IRAN” ABROAD IN STRENGTHENING ARMED OPPOSITION TO THE SHAH OF MOHAMMAD-REZA PAHLAVI (1960-1970S)

In the article, the author tried to find out the reasons for the shift of the liberal-Islamic grouping “Freedom Movement of Iran” to the idea of armed struggle against the authoritarian rule of Shah Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi (1941–1979) and to consider the practical activities of the left-radical wing of the Movement in preparing open terror against the Iranian monarch in the 1960s–1970s. The study demonstrates that from the very first days of its existence, the “Freedom Movement of Iran” was represented by two factions – moderate and radical oppositionists, where the latter were Iranian students not only in Iran, but also abroad (in the USA). The activation of that radical group followed the arrest of the leaders of the Movement in January 1963. Their activities took place within the framework of student associations in the USA. Among them, fighters were recruited into guerrilla groups, which were trained by the Movement’s leaders – M. Chamran, E. Yazdi, S. Qotbzade and A. Amir-Entezam – in Egypt and Lebanon. Since the late 1960s, they have focused their efforts on the ideological training of the younger generation after they’d acquired the skills of guerrilla warfare. The article also demonstrates how a group of students, sympathizing with Marxist-Leninist views, emerged from the depths of the “Freedom Movement of Iran” and in 1965 formed the “People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran”.