Imam Khomeini's Letter to Gorbachev

Iran's concession of UN's resolution no. 598 was regarded as a sign of waver in the beliefs of the political leaders of the regime and a retreat in the causes of the Islamic Revolution. This claim was repeatedly announced in various tribunes. Publication of Imam's letter to Gorbachev just 5 months after Iran's concession of resolution no. 598 radically changed the political atmosphere in and out of the country. Due to the status of Islamic Revolution and that of Imam Khomeini among Muslims all over the world on the one hand, and the evolutions initiated by Gorbachev in the former Soviet Union on the other hand, the letter and its content attracted the public attention, especially that of the authorities in international relations. The present article, while reflecting the conditions under which the letter was issued and dealing with the probable reasons for writing such a letter as well as indicating its content, is an attempt to infer some principles of Imam's political practice in encountering such a situation.