America’s secret engagement with Khomeini: the story of how Ayatollah Khomeini brokered his return to Iran to pursue the rise of the Islamic Republic.

By Kambiz Fattahi for the BBC Persian Service, first published on June 3, 2016

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This revealing account explores how President Carter and the United States were outmaneuvered by Ayatollah Khomeini, leading to the decision to stand down the Iranian Army and facilitate Khomeini’s return to power. The Americans were misled into viewing Khomeini as a figure akin to Gandhi. While this was always suspected, the actual messages detailed in this 2016 BBC story—declassified U.S. government documents including diplomatic cables, policy memos, meeting records— highlight the naivety and gullibility of the Carter administration. This was part of Khomeini’s clever strategy to unite a diverse coalition of Iranian leftists, secular radicals, and conservative Islamists, along with a large segment of credulous Western media, which remain hesitant to condemn the Islamic regime today as its forces violently suppress protests against the Iranian regime, estimated to have killed at least 12,000 people over two consecutive nights on January 8 and 9, 2026.

While many view the Carter administration as a passive observer during the Shah’s downfall, it is now evident that the U.S. attempted to maintain influence in both camps for a smoother transition. This strategy, however, proved to be a significant miscalculation, as Ayatollah Khomeini’s ambitions were underestimated and his intentions misread. Unlike Carter, Khomeini had a clear strategy for establishing an Islamic republic, engaging the U.S. with empty promises while advancing toward victory. Less than a year later, during the Iranian hostage crisis, Khomeini declared, “America can’t do a damn thing,” and proclaimed Iran’s intent to export its revolution globally, emphasizing the Islamic nature of the movement.

Go to the publisher’s website here to read the original article.