Ahvaz Gunmen Killed 2 Oil Executives in 1978, Foreshadowing Iran's Revolutionary Order
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 2
Ahvaz Gunmen Killed 2 Oil Executives in 1978, Foreshadowing Iran's Revolutionary Order
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 2
Summary
Two coordinated ambushes in Ahvaz on Dec. 23, 1978 killed Iranian oil official Malek-Mohammad Boroujerdi and American executive Paul E. Grimm weeks before the shah fell.
The attacks hit Iran’s petroleum hub as oil-worker strikes and broader revolutionary unrest were already undermining the monarchy and destabilizing the state.
The essay says some men involved in orchestrating Boroujerdi’s killing later became central figures in the Islamic republic, linking pre-revolutionary violence to today’s ruling establishment.
That history, the author argues, helps explain why Tehran’s leadership has shown resilience through war, sanctions and unrest, complicating any U.S. effort to force either war or peace.