that time was Lt. Gen. Eskandar Azmoudeh, a relative of the prime minister at that time, Jamshid Amoozgar. He was one of the influential people in the U.S.- and UK-instigated 1953 Iranian coup d'état. Azmoudeh was responsible for coordinating and dealing with any possible incidents in the province for the upcoming events and was on a trip to Dasht-e Moghan one day before the 1978 Tabriz uprising. Upon learning the current situation and the plan of the clergy to perform 40th day anniversary ceremony for the Qom martyrs in Mirza Yusuf Mojtahedi Mosque, Azmoudeh consulted with the Army General Nematollah Nasiri, the head of SAVAK about this, and Nasiri replied that: "There is nothing wrong with the ceremony being held in mosques, but street demonstrations should be properly prevented." The events Almost 40,000 people participated the 1978 Tabriz uprising. Local police forces in Tabriz refused to open fire against the demonstrators, which made the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi call on military forces from outside Azerbaijan provinces. For the first time since 1963, the army troops were deployed in the streets to "restore order," an operation which was conducted "quick and successful." The regime's response to the uprising in Tabriz in February 1978 is described as being "massive repression" which included arrests. According to Sepehr Zabir, although the February 1978 uprising in Tabriz was effectively "crushed", the security forces, who were unfamiliar with guerrilla warfare, were not able to exterminate the resistance because there was no defined policy against insurrection. 18 February On 18 February 1978, the 40th day, the markets were closed in many parts of the country, ceremonies were held in mosques and mosques, and magnificent gatherings were held in the Grand Mosque of Qom in the morning and evening. Factories, bazaars, and schools participated in the demonstrations in a strike that paralyzed the city. "Death to Shah" slogan was heard for the first time during the 1978 Tabriz demonstrations. The 18 February developments in Tabriz were extensive. On this day, Ayatollah Qazi led a large group of people towards the Qezelli mosque which is located at the beginning of Tabriz's bazaar. The mosque is also known as Haj Mirza Yusuf Agha Mojtahed mosque. The protestors unleashed their rage when a young student protester, called Mohammad Tajalli, was killed in Tabriz. Ayatollah Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestri, in his memoirs, portrays the 19 February developments that the mosque was closed down by