Iran, 1980 — dissident coup conspiracy
Event Summary
This entry is coded 19 June 1980, during the organizing phase of the Nojeh coup plot, codenamed Neghab or Mask, a plan by former imperial military officers to overthrow the newly established Islamic Republic and the government of Abolhassan Banisadr and Ayatollah Khomeini. The plot involved officers and servicemen from the infantry, air force, army, and secret service, and was financed and directed with the contacts and authority of the Shah's last prime minister, Shapour Bakhtiar, operating from exile. The plan centered on Nojeh Air Base near Hamadan, from which pilots flying F-4 Phantoms were to bomb Khomeini's residence, Mehrabad Airport, the prime minister's office, and Revolutionary Guard headquarters in Tehran, while ground forces seized key installations.
The plot was betrayed and largely halted by the arrest of hundreds of officers on 9 to 10 July 1980; 144 or more participants were executed and thousands of military personnel were dismissed. The June 1980 coding sits in the preparation phase of this plot in the weeks before its July exposure.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
- Cline Center id
63006191980
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: The plot was betrayed and crushed; Khomeini's regime executed the plotters and purged the military further.
Baseline coding: Plot discovered and disrupted before execution. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Baseline Source-Document Entries
CSP
The Guardian
Washington Post
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →