Gorbachev’s response to Imam Khomeini:

''Your message has deep concerns about the fate of mankind''

On January 4th 1989 Imam Khomeini’s message was delivered to Gorbachev by his selected delegations who were Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, Mohammad Javad Larijani and Mrs. Marzieh Hadidehchi Dabbaq. Eight weeks later Gorbachev delivered his response to Imam Khomeini by the then Soviet foreign minister, Edward Shevardnadze in Tehran. Gorbachev saw a great value to Imam’s message in his response, but it was clear that he had not understood the spiritual dimensions of Imam’s message. Because he had first tried to describe his activities for promoting political freedom in the Soviet Union and then he had described the achievements of a communist economic from 1917 till now. In the meeting between Eduard Shevardnadze, those days Soviet foreign minister, and Imam Khomeini, Ali Akbar Velayati, those days Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Larijani, deputy of the foreign minister and a member of the delegation, and Alireza Nobari, then the Iranian ambassador to the Soviet Union were also present.

Iran-Russia relations

From Imam Khomeini’s letter to the collapse of the Soviet Union

When Mikhail Gorbachev, Head of state of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, received Imam Khomeini’s letter from the Imam’s chosen delegation party, he turned to them and said: “Although the people of the Soviet Union and Iran are followers of different schools of thought, this does not prevent us from cooperating with each other based on our common principles and traditions.” On January the 4th 1989, when Eduard Shevardnadze, the Soviet foreign minister, traveled to Iran after his visit to Iraq and delivered Gorbachev’s official response to Imam Khomeini, he was also instructed to talk about bilateral relations.

The Imam’s historical message to Mikhail Gorbachev

The Imam’s prediction that Communism will fall

In 1989, Imam Khomeini sent a message to Gorbachev inviting him to accept Islam and warning him of the fall of the Soviet Union and the Communist way of thought. The Imam talked of the inability of fulfilling spiritual needs by material things.

Muharram

Muharram and Ashura

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (as), the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad (saw) and the third Imam and leader of the Shi'a. Imam Hussein's (as) martyrdom is a sad day for all Muslims especially the Shi'a, who mourn the massacre of their "Master of Martyrs" and his family in Karbala in 61AH/680CE.

Theoretical Viewpoints of Imam Khomeini in the Realm of Foreign Policy

Idealism and Realism in Foreign Policy from Imam Khomeini’s Viewpoint