News of Mahsa Amini's death in morality police custody on September 16 has sparked a wave of unrest across Iran in which dozens of protesters have been killed. Here are landmark events in the history of the country, once known as Persia, since the 1979 revolution that overthrew the US-backed monarchy and established an Islamic republic. UGC images posted on September 26, 2022, show an Iranian woman throwing a head scarf into the air as protesters cheer in the city of Yazd. Video: AFP 1979: Islamic republic After months of protests against his rule, on January 16, 1979, the US-backed shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, leaves the country. Revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini makes a triumphant return from exile in Paris on February 1. Ten days later, the shah's government falls. Public radio hails "the end of 2,500 years of despotism". An Islamic republic is proclaimed on April 1. 1979-81: US hostage crisis Students backing Khomeini take 52 Americans hostage at the US embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979, to protest the ex-shah's admission to hospital in the United States. Washington severs diplomatic relations in 1980. The hostages are only freed on January 20,...
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