Seyyed Ahmad Khomeini once recalled through memoirs that the then Shah regime and the Iraqi authorities in 1978 had become frightened that Imam had great and deep popularity among not only the Iranian nation, but also the Iranian people.
The then Iranian and Iraqi authorities had held several joint meetings to limit Imam’s activities in exile in the holy city of Najaf.
Given the above reasons, one day, Iraqi forces surrounded Imam’s residence in Najaf, and the subsequent events led to Imam’s exile to Paris.
But the opponents had not known how Imam would convey his message from Paris on the global stage and would even boost the movement which finally resulted in the victory of the Islamic revolution the later year.
Extracted from a series of memoirs about Imam Khomeini