ABSTRACT
Three sets of problems preoccupied the Iranians in 1986: the war with Iraq; the continued economic downturn, and the fierce power struggle within the revolutionary Establishment. The Islamic revolution was no exception. As long as he headed an opposition movement, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeyni had depicted a "new Iran" as being modeled on early Islam. Iran then demonstrated its disdain for diplomatic conventions by seizing the diplomats of a country with which it had "normal" relations while maintaining "normal" relations with a country with which it was at war. In political terms, Iran criticized the Soviet Union for its ties with leftist groups and ethnic minorities in Iran; for its invasion of Afghanistan; and for its support of Iraq. The study "conveyed an impression of relative American powerlessness to affect events in Iran, powerlessness that would continue indefinitely." Iran vehemently denounced the American attack, voiced unconditional support for Qadhdhafi and indirectly expressed support for terrorism.
