On 7 January 1989, Ruhollah Khomeini, supreme leader of Iran, sent a letter to Mikhail Gorbachev, the General Secretary of the Soviet Union.
[3] In the letter, Khomeini declared that communism was dissolving within the Soviet bloc,[4][5] and invited Gorbachev to consider Islam as an alternative to communist ideology.
On 7 January, Khomeini's representatives, Abdollah Javadi-Amoli, Mohammad-Javad Larijani, and Marzieh Hadidchi, went to Moscow to officially deliver the letter.
[7][8] In his letter, Khomeini congratulated Gorbachev, saying he showed bravery in dealing with the modern world, and praised his reconstruction of Soviet principles.
Referring to Khomeini's invitation to Islam, he said: "We are approving the law of religious freedom in the Soviet Union, I have claimed before that despite having different ideologies we can have a peaceful relationship".
[18][17] In February 1989, Eduard Shevardnadze, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, delivered Gorbachev's reply to Khomeini when he traveled to Iran.
[7][19][20] The letter became controversial with Shiite clerics in the Iranian city of Qom who regarded the thoughts of Muslim mystics and philosophers to be heretical.