Martial Law in Isfahan; On the Eve of the Fall of the Pahlavi Regime

On the eve of the fall of the Pahlavi regime, August 12, 1978, coincided with bloody clashes in Isfahan and the declaration of martial law in that city. Newspapers of that day reported the closure of Isfahan airport at night, public mourning in Shiraz, and the closure of the Tabriz bazaar.

This day, in the narrative of the revolution, is part of a chain in which "martial law" had become the regime's main tool for controlling the streets; a logic that was later repeated in other forms (exceptional laws, emergency states, security rulings) in the Islamic Republic as well.