Rouhani leads tributes on Iran revolution anniversary

Senior Iranian officials paid tribute on Monday to the late founder of the Islamic Revolution on the day that marks his historic arrival from France in 1979.

On Febuary 1, 1979, Iran's exiled Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini descended from a chartered Air France Boeing 747 to return to Tehran.

It was a moment that would change the country's history for decades to come.

President Hassan Rouhani and other officials visited Khomeini's mausoleum in the southern outskirts of Tehran.

Rouhani also visited the graves of senior Khomeini allies who played a role in the revolution.

Iran's Islamic Revolution began with widespread unrest over the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

The shah, fatally and secretly ill with cancer, fled Iran in January 1979.

After Khomeini's return from exile, the government fell on February 11, 1979, after days of mass demonstrations and confrontations between protesters and security forces.

(Image credit:AP)