Island of Stability was the phrase that

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

used to describe the circumstances of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

under the leadership of the last

Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in Christmas period of 1977, just one year before the Islamic Revolution.

Place and date

, 39th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

, traveled to

in late December 1977. On New Year's Eve, in the

Niavaran Complex The Niavaran Palace Complex ( fa, مجموعه کاخ نیاوران – ''Majmue ye Niāvarān'') is a historical palace complex situated in Shemiran (northern Tehran), Iran. It consists of several palace buildings and monuments dating back t ...

, he made a speech during which he said, "Iran is an island of stability in one of the most troubled areas of the world." Also, in this speech he called Mohammad Reza Pahlavi a popular king among Iranians.

Consequences

After this speech, Mohammad Reza felt encouraged to proceed to further suppression of his opponents. One week later, on Saturday, January 7, 1978, the article "

Iran and Red and Black Colonization "Iran and Red and Black Colonization" ( fa, ایران و استعمار سرخ و سیاه, Irân o este'mâr sorx o siyâh) was an article written by Ahmad Rashidi Motlagh published in ''Ettela'at'' newspaper on 7 January 1978. The article was ...

" was published in ''

Ettela'at ''Ettela'at'' ( fa, اطلاعات, Ettelâ'ât, ) is a Persian language daily newspaper of record published in Iran. It is among the oldest publications in the country, and the oldest running Persian daily newspaper in the world. The paper has ...

'' under a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

, targeting Ayatollah Khomeini. Following the article's publication, several protests occurred in Mashhad, Qom, and

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

. Also, Khomeini condemned Carter's speaking and declared the

, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to be a

tyrant A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to re ...

and a

traitor Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

Analysis of the support

Ahmad Zeidabadi believes Carter was aware of the sporadic protests against Mohammad Reza in Iran and knew that Iranian society was unstable, so it seems he described Iran as an island of stability to strengthen Pahlavi and to reassure him of the U.S. government support for him. Sadegh Zibakalam says the speech was based on Carter's false impression of Iran's circumstances and believes Americans were unable to see the coming

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

References

External links

Corpus of Political Speeches
publicly accessible with speeches from United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China, provided b
Hong Kong Baptist University Library
{{Iran–United States relations 1977 speeches 1977 in Iran Iran–United States relations Iranian Revolution Presidency of Jimmy Carter Speeches by Jimmy Carter

Place and date

Consequences

Analysis of the support

See also

References

External links