Breaking History: The Making of Modern Iran (Part 2) | The Red-Green Alliance

Podcast: Breaking History | Host: The Free Press (Eli Lake)
Guest: Abbas Milani, with additional expert commentary
Date: January 14, 2026

Episode Overview

In this rich and timely episode, host Eli Lake—joined by historian Abbas Milani and others—explores the unlikely and consequential alliance between leftist/progressive factions ("the red") and fundamentalist clerical forces ("the green") that toppled the Pahlavi monarchy in Iran and ushered in the Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Khomeini.
The episode traces how progressive, feminist, and secular groups became bedfellows with an Islamist project that ultimately led to theocracy, authoritarianism, and a reign of terror—all while examining the echoes of these alliances in contemporary politics.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The 'Red-Green Alliance' in Historical and Contemporary Context

• Contemporary Parallel: Eli Lake opens by comparing the 1979 Iranian revolution, where secular progressives aligned with Islamists, to modern-day Western left-wing alliances with Islamist groups around issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• Lake references recent (2025) calls to cut US aid to Israel and how media discourse has "settled on a message that Israel’s response... is itself a holocaust" (02:00), highlighting how “progressives and liberals in America and Europe have blamed this catastrophe solely on Israel.”

2. The Shah’s 'White Revolution' and Backlash (1963 Onwards)

• The Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, implements ambitious reforms: land redistribution, expanding women’s rights, and rural literacy programs (10:24).
• "These were royal decrees... Iran in this period was no longer a constitutional monarchy, as it was in the 1940s and early 1950s. It is an absolute monarchy at this point." (10:24 – 11:10)
• The White Revolution jeopardizes the traditional power of the clergy—especially their role in education and legal arbitration.
• Historian Ray Takei explains, "There's a whole thing happening about essentially transforming peasants into successful small farm, land-owning families." (12:55)

3. Khomeini’s Emergence and the 1963 Uprising

• Khomeini’s Motivation: Opposed secularization and advocated for an Islamic government; spurred by perceived threats to religious authority and tradition.
• In 1963, Khomeini delivers a fiery sermon attacking the Shah: "You miserable wretch. 45 years of your life have passed. Isn't it time for you to think and reflect..." (15:21)
• Khomeini’s criticisms focus on women's suffrage, secular schooling, and co-mingling of the sexes.
• After Khomeini’s arrest, violent riots erupt, showing the power of clerical networks.

4. Khomeini’s Radicalism and Ties to Terror

• Abbas Milani contextualizes Khomeini’s history of supporting Islamist terrorists as early as the 1940s (19:39).
• "One of the only clergy who defies [Grand Ayatollah] Burjardi, but pampers and protects Nawab Esfavi [a terrorist], is Khomeini." (19:53)

5. Khomeini’s Strategic Messaging: Anti-Imperialism and Antisemitism

• Khomeini couches his opposition in anti-imperialist language—a savvy appeal to the left, despite his fundamentalism.
• “He is an early adopter in Iran, at least, of the Palestinian cause.” (20:34)
• Khomeini accused Israel of aiming to “destroy the Quran,” inciting popular resentment by blending anticolonial and antisemitic themes.

  “Israel does not wish the Quran to exist in this country... It is still assaulting us and assaulting you, the nation.” (21:28)

6. SAVAK, Hassan Pakravan, and the Limits of Authoritarian Power

• SAVAK director Hassan Pakravan’s open, respectful approach to Khomeini ultimately fails. He holds lunches and treats him with dignity:

  "He had extraordinary presence, a power of seduction... but his ignorance in history and philosophy is something unbelievable... What struck you in him? His ambition." (24:34 – 25:47)

• Despite exile and polite treatment, Khomeini continues his anti-government campaign.

7. Khomeini’s Exile and the Innovation of Cassette Tape Propaganda

• Exiled to Najaf and later Paris, Khomeini revolutionizes opposition communications by using audio tapes to send sermons into Iran—“went viral both in the early 60s and in the late 1970s” (33:14).
• Abbas Milani describes seeing his own family circulate Khomeini’s tapes in the early 1960s (30:57).
• “His power grew. When Khomeini called for strikes...it happened. When he told the Shah to get the hell out of Iran...he did.” (33:14)

8. Khomeini’s Political Philosophy: 'Islamic Government'

• From exile, Khomeini authors Islamic Government, which lays out his vision for clerical rule and the necessity of war against Israel and the secular West:

  "If the Muslims had acted in accordance with this command...a handful of Jews would never dare to occupy our lands and burn the Masjid al Aqsa..." (34:41)

• Eli Lake compares this book's significance to Hitler’s Mein Kampf (33:14).

9. The Shah’s Isolation and Extravagance

• The Shah’s ostentatious wealth culminates in the infamous 2500th anniversary of the Persian monarchy—“the most expensive party of all time” (40:32).
• Quote from Under Secretary of State George Ball:

  "What an absurd, pathetic spectacle...proclaiming his achievements in modernizing his nation while accoutred in the raiment and symbols of ancient despotism." (39:07)

• This disconnect further erodes his base and energizes opposition.

10. Fall of the Shah and Triumph of Khomeini’s Coalition

• The Shah’s crackdown contributes to a spiraling revolutionary cycle, fueled by the Shia tradition of mourning.
• By late 1978, demonstrations become increasingly uncontrollable, culminating in the Shah’s departure (66:13).
• Harold Rhode recalls how even apolitical students begin chanting “Death to the Shah. Long live Khomeini.” (49:29)

11. The Red-Green Alliance Comes Together

• Despite divisions, liberals, leftists, and feminists yield to Khomeini’s leadership, imagining they can later displace him. Abbas Milani:

  “Some of them...thought Khomeini is so reactionary, he can't possibly rule Iran, so we'll use him as a banner, overthrow the Shah, and then take over.” (52:26)

• Western media and politicians naively embrace Khomeini as a reformist or even progressive—a perception eagerly manipulated by his Paris-based publicity machine (53:31).

12. The Western Press and the Khomeini Myth

• Journalists are mostly controlled, given only pre-approved questions and translations, with Khomeini’s inner circle shaping his image.
• Princeton’s Richard Falk in The New York Times:

  “The depiction of him as fanatical, reactionary and the bearer of crude prejudices seems certainly and happily false. What is also encouraging is that his entourage of close advisors is uniformly composed of moderate, progressive individuals.” (57:30)

• Historian Bernard Lewis’s warnings are ignored; the revolution turns theocratic as Khomeini’s true aims become clear (58:01).

13. Intellectual Enablers: Michel Foucault and the Seduction of Political Islam

• Foucault, in dispatches, extols the “spiritual energy” and utopian possibilities of the Iranian revolution, blind to its inherent repression (61:45).

• "By Islamic government, nobody in Iran means a political regime in which the clerics would have a role of supervision or control. To me, the phrase Islamic government seemed to point to...a utopia...” (62:29)

14. The Revolution’s Aftermath: Repression and Theocratic Rule

• Khomeini rapidly moves to roll back women’s rights, dissolve democratic reforms, and implement harsh social controls.
• “On March 4, Khomeini declared that only men could initiate a divorce. Soon after, he ordered women to cover their heads.” (67:13)
• Extrajudicial executions, sham tribunals, and purges are widespread; even SAVAK director Pakravan, who spared Khomeini’s life, is summarily executed (68:54).

15. Iconic Interviews: The Oriana Fallaci Showdown

• Fallaci interrogates Khomeini with rare directness:

  Fallaci: "You frighten people… many call you a dictator…" (72:16)
  Khomeini: "I enjoy hearing and seeing them… it is love… an intelligent love." (74:13)
  Fallaci, removing her hijab: "That’s very kind of you, Imam. And since you said so, I’m going to take off this stupid medieval rag right now." (75:58)

16. Legacy: Iran's Theocracy and Export of Islamist Imperialism

• The Islamic Republic becomes a regional powerhouse, creating and backing Hezbollah, fueling violence in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and funding Hamas (78:02).
• "Khomeini was able to rally the support of the Western world's anti-imperialists, only to pursue a vicious kind of imperialism in the Middle East. His revolution was enabled and empowered by deception." (78:02)
• Lake’s conclusion: Political Islam is incompatible with democracy—a lesson the West continues to ignore (81:06).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Khomeini’s Threat to the Shah | [15:21]

  “You miserable wretch... If you continue... you will find yourself in predicament. You won’t be able to go on living. The nation will not allow you to continue this way.”
  (Abbas Milani reading Khomeini)

• Khomeini’s Antisemitic Rhetoric | [21:28]

  “Israel does not wish the Quran to exist in this country… It wishes to seize your economy, to destroy your trade and agriculture, to appropriate your wealth.”

• Western Journalist Gullibility, Richard Falk Quote | [57:30]

  “The depiction of him as fanatical, reactionary and the bearer of crude prejudices seems certainly and happily false…”

• Michel Foucault on Islamic Government | [62:29]

  “By Islamic government, nobody in Iran means a political regime in which the clerics would have a role of supervision or control. To me, the phrase Islamic government seemed to point to… a utopia…”

• Oriana Fallaci Challenges Khomeini | [75:58]

  Fallaci: “That’s very kind of you, Imam. And since you said so, I’m going to take off this stupid medieval rag right now.”

• On Khomeini’s Charisma and Ignorance | [24:34]

  “He had extraordinary presence, a power of seduction... but his ignorance in history and philosophy is something unbelievable… What struck you in him? His ambition.”
  (Fatima Pakravan, relaying Hassan Pakravan’s impressions)

• Eli Lake’s Final Lesson | [81:06]

  “Khomeini’s ideology, political Islam itself, is incompatible with democracy and our way of life. How many civilians will have to die from Iranian supported terror… for this message to finally sink in?”

Important Segment Timestamps

• Rise of the Red-Green Alliance: 00:00 – 04:44
• The Shah’s White Revolution: 10:24 – 13:11
• Khomeini’s 1963 Sermon and Uprising: 15:21 – 16:35
• Khomeini’s Anti-Israel Rhetoric: 21:28 – 22:09
• SAVAK Director Pakravan and Khomeini: 23:48 – 25:47
• Khomeini’s Propaganda Innovations: 30:57 – 33:14
• Political Philosophy of 'Islamic Government': 34:41 – 35:58
• The 1971 Persepolis Party and the Shah’s Decline: 40:32 – 44:10
• Fragmentation and the Red-Green Alliance: 52:26 – 53:31
• Western Press, Khomeini as a Saint?: 56:06 – 58:01
• Foucault’s Enchantment with the Revolution: 61:45 – 64:05
• Khomeini’s Return & Domino Repressions: 67:13 – 68:37
• Oriana Fallaci Interview with Khomeini: 71:27 – 76:14
• Iran’s New Theocracy—Exporting Revolution & Terror: 77:58 – 81:06

Conclusion

Breaking History’s second part on Modern Iran provides a cautionary tale about ideological alliances and the dangers of wishful thinking in revolutionary times. The episode masterfully links the story of Iran’s 1979 revolution—where secularists allied with fundamentalists—to contemporary political patterns and debates, underscoring that “those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

For more nuanced discussion and references, listen to the full episode or visit The Free Press.