OIFI
Hafte Tir Bombing
28 Jun 1981
On 28 June 1981 (7 Tir 1360 in the Iranian calendar), a bomb exploded at the headquarters of the Islamic Republican Party in Tehran during a leadership meeting, killing over 70 people including Mohammad Beheshti, four cabinet ministers, 27 members of parliament, and other senior officials. It was one of the deadliest political assassinations in modern Iranian history. The attack is generally attributed to the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), though the group has denied responsibility and attribution remains disputed by some analysts.
The bombing occurred eight days after the June 20 uprising and the beginning of the open armed conflict between the MEK and the Islamic Republic. Beheshti, widely considered the second most powerful man in Iran after Ruhollah Khomeini, was the most prominent victim. The attack accelerated the regime's mass crackdown on opposition groups, particularly the MEK, and led to a period of intense political violence throughout the summer of 1981. Mohammad-Javad Bahonar, who succeeded Beheshti as the IRP's effective leader, was himself assassinated two months later on 30 August 1981.