After the shah’s government collapsed, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini named Mehdi Bazargan to lead an interim government. The interim cabinet was meant to keep basic administration running while the new political order was decided. From the start, it operated alongside revolutionary bodies that were not fully under its control.
Leading clerics publicly announced the founding of the Islamic Republican Party (IRP). The party helped organize supporters of Khomeini’s line and became a major force in early post-revolution politics. It played an important role in elections and in shaping debates over the new constitution.
Iran held a nationwide referendum asking voters whether to replace the monarchy with an “Islamic Republic.” Official results reported an overwhelming “Yes” vote. The referendum gave the revolutionary leadership a popular mandate to build new state institutions under that new label.
Ayatollah Khomeini ordered the establishment of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to unify and organize revolutionary armed groups. The IRGC was designed as a parallel force to protect the revolution, alongside the regular military. This decision created a security institution that would become central to the Islamic Republic’s power structure.
Voters elected members to a special constituent body tasked with final review of a new constitution. The election produced a strong bloc aligned with the IRP and pro-Khomeini clerics. This shifted constitutional drafting away from the earlier draft prepared under the interim government and toward a more clerically centered design.
The elected assembly (often called the Assembly of Experts for the Constitution) opened in Tehran to revise and finalize the constitutional text. It debated core questions such as the role of Islamic law and the place of clerical supervision in government. Its work laid the legal foundations for institutions like the Supreme Leader and the Guardian Council.
On November 4, 1979, militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took American hostages, triggering a major international crisis. Two days later, Bazargan’s interim government resigned, saying it could no longer govern effectively. Power shifted further toward revolutionary bodies and leaders aligned closely with Khomeini.
Iran held a referendum on the new constitution on December 2–3, 1979, and official results reported overwhelming approval. The constitution formalized a system combining elected bodies with clerical oversight, including the office of Supreme Leader. It also provided the basis for institutions that could review laws and supervise elections.
Iran’s first presidential election took place in January 1980, and Abolhassan Banisadr won by a wide margin. The new presidency added an elected executive office to the emerging system. Tensions soon developed between the president, the IRP, and revolutionary institutions that answered directly to Khomeini.
Iran held elections for the first Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis) in March and May 1980. Pro-Khomeini groups, including the IRP and allies, won the largest bloc, giving them leverage over legislation and government formation. The Majlis became a key arena where revolutionary factions competed and consolidated power.
Khomeini called for a broad “people’s” defense force, and the Basij was created as a mass volunteer militia. It later became part of the IRGC structure, expanding the revolution’s capacity for internal security and wartime mobilization. The Basij helped institutionalize the idea of popular participation in defending the new regime.
Under the new constitution, the Guardian Council was created to review laws for compatibility with Islamic criteria and the constitution. Records of its legislative opinions show it began operating as the first Majlis started passing bills. This gave an unelected body a direct check over elected legislators, shaping the Islamic Republic’s institutional balance.
After escalating political conflict, the Majlis voted to impeach President Banisadr. Soon afterward, Khomeini dismissed him, ending Iran’s first presidency and marking a decisive victory for clerical and IRP-aligned forces. The episode showed how the new constitution’s institutions could be used to remove an elected leader during factional struggle.
A bomb destroyed the IRP headquarters during a leadership meeting, killing Mohammad Beheshti and many senior officials. The attack intensified fears of internal enemies and accelerated crackdowns on opposition groups. It also reshaped the leadership landscape, removing a key institution-builder of the early Islamic Republic.
After its earlier constitution-drafting role ended in 1979, the Assembly of Experts was reestablished in 1983 with a narrower mission: selecting the Supreme Leader and supervising whether he remains qualified. This step completed a major piece of the Islamic Republic’s constitutional architecture. It helped lock in a durable system in which clerical institutions could guide top leadership beyond regular electoral cycles.
Establishment of the Islamic Republic: Referendum, Assembly of Experts, and Early Institutions (1979–1983)