The Shah ordered Gholam Reza Azhari at 5 November 1978 to lead the military government at the time of growing protests in the country.

[1] The selection of General Azhari was taken as an indirect signal to the revolutionaries that the regime had lost its resolve to resist and play it tough.

[3] Of the eleven cabinet ministers appointed by Azhari, only six were military, and even this number was whittled down in the following weeks.

In short, the hotly debated change to a military government was, in practice, more cosmetic than real.

[2] On the eve of 20 December, Prime Minister Gholam Reza Azhari suffered a massive heart attack.