More Anniversaries in Iran

Today, February 1, marks the 31st anniversary of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's return to Iran on this date in 1979. Over the ten days between now and February 11, the anniversary of the final triumph of the Iranian Revolution, Iranians will be watching closely to see how the opposition's efforts to rally on the 11th are coming together. In their attempt to portray themselves as the real inheritors of the Revolution and the present regime as its betrayers, the opposition has sought to awaken some of the spirit of those days. But because it lacks a unified leadership, the message is not always clear.

It is, however, clear that February 11 is the next major date for demonstrations, and that traditionally the countdown to that date began historically with Khomeini's return on the first.