Iran expels 18 Soviets, rules Tudeh Party illegal

Iran announced the explusion of 18 Soviet diplomats for allegedly interfering in the country's internal affairs. Iran gave the Soviets 48 hours to leave the country. At the same time, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's regime declared the Soviet-backed Tudeh Communist Party illegal, accusing it of spying for the Soviet Union, storing weapons, and infiltrating government and revolutionary organizations. The party was the last survivor of the leftist groups that joined Islamic militants in the 1979 revolution to overthrow the late Shah.