It is difficult to definitively state whether Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, was motivated by revenge during his time in power. Khomeini's rise to power and his policies were influenced by a variety of factors, including his religious ideology, opposition to the former Shah's regime, and the desire to establish an Islamic state in Iran. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Khomeini and his supporters sought to dismantle the Pahlavi monarchy and implement their vision of an Islamic government.