On the tenth day of Bahman 57 (February 10, 1979), the newspapers Kayhan and Ettela'at continued to cover news related to Ayatollah Khomeini's return to Iran. On this day, the latest news from Ettela'at reported that Ayatollah Khomeini's flight had been delayed by 24 hours. Kayhan reported that two million people had come to Tehran from various provinces to welcome Ayatollah Khomeini. Kayhan also published a warning from Bakhtiar, citing news agencies, that Khomeini's return could lead to 'street warfare.' Here are some of the main news and reports from the two popular newspapers on that day:
- The officers at Shahrokhi base will not participate in the coup. - Night demonstrations in Hamadan in 20 degrees below zero. - The house of a television announcer was set on fire. - The American consul sought refuge in the house of a cleric in Isfahan! - Bakhtiar's warning: Khomeini's return will lead to street warfare. - Bakhtiar: Whatever will be, will be! - Two million people from the provinces have gathered in Tehran to welcome Khomeini. - Bring prescriptions to buy medicine from hospitals. - The Shah went on a picnic. - Pravda: America wants to replace Turkey with Iran. - Airports have reopened.
In this day, Kayhan reported that the officers at Shahrokhi base, also known as Harriya, stated in a declaration that they would not follow orders against the noble and Muslim people of Iran and would never cooperate with their commanders to create a coup. Kayhan also reported from Behbahan that a number of officers and airmen marched through the central streets of the city. The report also mentioned a gathering of 'hundreds of lieutenants, pilots, airmen, and soldiers' in Kermanshah. According to this report, these military personnel appeared in civilian clothes and 'presented their identification cards to reassure the people.' Meanwhile, Kayhan reported that a group of airmen had been arrested by Air Force officials at Shahrokhi base, Qasr Firouzeh, and the first fighter base. This news was provided to Kayhan by the families of the arrested airmen, who added that these families would hold a sit-in at the Bar Association on Saturday (February 14).
Kayhan also reported that two nights earlier, 'as the temperature dropped to 20 degrees below zero,' tens of thousands of people in Hamadan protested. According to this news, the protesters demanded 'the establishment of an Islamic Republic' and remained in the streets until 1 AM. The report stated that a day later, 'thousands of people in Hamadan, some armed with swords and daggers, marched.'
Kayhan reported from north-west Tehran that the house of 'a colonel and a television announcer' was set on fire. According to this report, these houses belonged to 'Colonel Vahdani and Anoushiravan Kangarlu, the television announcer,' who had evacuated a month earlier and moved their belongings to another location. The location of these two three-story buildings was reported as 'on either side of Amir Ismail Samani alley, located on Eisenhower Street next to the large Pars store.' Meanwhile, Ettela'at also reported the burning of Shahr-e No, Shokufe No, two breweries, and dozens of liquor stores.
Ettela'at reported an incident in Isfahan where an American national shot and injured an Isfahani driver, leading to protests from the people of the city. According to this report, 'Alfonso Yachko Dourlou,' an American employee of Bell Helicopter, shot 'an Isfahani driver named Mahmoud Hindi Marjan' following an argument.
After this incident, the American consul in Isfahan went to the scene of the incident at the Kourosh Hotel, and then a large group of people gathered in front of this hotel demanding punishment for the shooter. According to this report, several individuals, including Ayatollah Khademi, a cleric from Isfahan, intervened to disperse the crowd, and the American consul spent the night at the cleric's house until 'the next morning, a representative of Ayatollah Khademi took the American consul to the consulate.' Ettela'at reported that 'the shooter, an American national, is also being held in a location.'
Bakhtiar warned that Khomeini's return would lead to street warfare. According to this report, several representatives from Bakhtiar and the National Front warned Ayatollah Khomeini that his return to Iran would lead to street warfare and that the army might react violently. The report stated that Bakhtiar had warned Khomeini through several channels that 'he would bear the responsibility for any events that occur upon his return.' On the other hand, Ibrahim Yazdi, a close associate of Ayatollah Khomeini, stated that he 'denied any contact between Bakhtiar and Ayatollah Khomeini.' The report mentioned the disagreement between the parties regarding Bakhtiar's trip to Paris and his meeting with Ayatollah Khomeini, and 'one of Khomeini's associates compared the general situation to a political theater composed of complex maneuvers and side stories.' Kayhan also reported that Sadegh Qotbzadeh denied the news of the reopening of airports, stating that 'Khomeini's associates are waiting for confirmation of the airport's reopening before beginning their journey to Iran.' This newspaper also quoted officials from 'Air France' stating that the company, which is waiting for the airport to open for Khomeini's return flight, 'is ready to allocate an aircraft to bring Khomeini and his companions to Iran even if the airport is only open for one flight and regular Air France flights to Iran are canceled.'
Ettela'at reported an interview with Shapur Bakhtiar on a French radio station, where the Prime Minister stated about his disagreement with Imam Khomeini: 'Whatever will be, will be.' Bakhtiar also assured that 'there will be no massacre or catastrophe in Iran' and added, 'a nation that has been under pressure and torture has now achieved a democratic freedom in a European and real way and continues on its path.' Bakhtiar emphasized in his conversation with this French media that he learned to respect the law in this country and stated that he has always tried to convince Ayatollah Khomeini, but 'there are moments in life when one must say: no – and that moment has now come, and I say no.'
The report from Kayhan on the tenth of Bahman focuses on the anticipation of 'hundreds of thousands of people from Qom, Isfahan, Mashhad, Tabriz, and all over Iran' who have come to Tehran to witness Ayatollah Khomeini's return; a Tehran that, according to this report, 'beats for the Master.' Kayhan states that a committee has been formed to accommodate these provincial visitors, estimated to number two million, providing them with housing and food. This report quotes this committee stating that approximately 300,000 provincial visitors, all men and mostly young, have been provided with accommodation, but most provincial groups have directly connected with their local Hosseiniyehs in Tehran and are guests of their fellow countrymen in Tehran.