Khomeini Breaks Long Silence, Vows ‘War Until Victory’
The Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini spoke in public today for the first time in almost 12 weeks and said his people demand “war until victory” against Iraq.
The address by the 86-year-old supreme Iranian leader at a mosque near his home in north Tehran came on the eve of the eighth anniversary of the revolution that toppled Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.
As recently as Sunday, there was speculation on Khomeini’s health when he sat silently as President Ali Khamenei read a speech on his behalf. But he spoke in a strong and steady voice during today’s 17-minute speech, which was broadcast on Tehran radio.
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