1982 Amol uprising

Armed uprising against the Iranian government

Amol uprising

Part of the consolidation of the Iranian Revolution

A building riddled with bullet holes in Amol, 1982

Date	25 January 1982
Location	Amol County, Iran
Result	Iranian government victory

Belligerents

Iran

Union of Iranian Communists

Commanders and leaders

Nasser Shabani^[1]

Kak Ismail

Strength

Unknown

~100

Casualties and losses

40–200 killed

40–100 killed

Consolidation of the
Iranian Revolution

Kurdistan
Khuzestan
Khorasan
Azerbaijan
Baluchistan
Tehran
U.S. Embassy
Nojeh coup plot
Amol uprising
Iran–Iraq War

The 1982 Amol uprising was an armed uprising against the government of Iran by the Maoist organisation Union of Iranian Communists (Sarbedaran).

Background

The Union of Iranian Communists (Sarbedaran) or UIC(S) for short, was a Maoist organisation that adopted people's war as its line of struggle. The Amol County was chosen by UIC(S) as a revolutionary base area.

History

1982 was an important year in the history of the UIC(S) and the history of Maoism in Iran in general. In this year the UIC(S) mobilised forces in forests around Amol and launched an armed campaign against the Islamic Republic. It organised an uprising on 25 January 1982, led by Siamak Zaim. The uprising was eventually a failure and many UIC(S) and Maoist leaders were shot. Zaim was arrested by the Revolutionary Guard after they retook Amol by force, and eventually executed in 1984 in spite of a pardon from death granted for helping end the firefight.

Aftermath

After the failure of the uprising the UIC(S) went through a difficult period with most of its leadership and members arrested or killed. It also experienced various theoretical and political crises.